


Crime Butchers Innocence

by thranduils1



Series: Crime Butchers Innocence [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Controlling Castiel (Supernatural), F/M, Implied/Referenced Abortion, Past Domestic Violence, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 09:28:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 68,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14892026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thranduils1/pseuds/thranduils1
Summary: Reader is a hired assassin for an important Italian mafia family along with her partner, Darius. At a party, she catches the eye of a certain Russian crime lord. And against Darius’ warning, entices the man further.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Transferring my fanfics over from Tumblr. This was originally posted April 29, 2016. I only went through and edited it slightly.
> 
> And I used Google Translate for the Russian and Italian, so I apologize for the mistakes that are most definitely there. I post with the phonetic pronunciation of the languages, rather than the alphabet (this applies to the Russian, really). There are translations at the end of each section. I only use a little of each language to insinuate that they are speaking in that language.

You strode through the room, your hand clutching your wallet, hanging by your hip, a drink in the other hand. You ignored the looks from people you were passing by. Usually, you would relish in this adoration, but you were on a way to confirm your mission’s completion. You approached Lucia, your boss, stopping next to her quietly. Lucia was the first daughter of one of the major bosses in Sicilian mafia, Matteo Esposito. After her older brother had been killed in a deal gone wrong, Lucia had stepped up, proving her father impressed. She was ruthless and cunning. Women were traditionally excluded as according to old Mafia rules, but she had proved herself time and time again.  
  
You had been doing small jobs before running into her one night at a night club and surprisingly, she had heard of your skills.  
  
“Assassination, sniping, hand combat… you are quite impressive in a lot of areas,” she had said quietly, sitting herself down next to you at the bar, staring ahead.  
  
Initially, you had been wary of this approach, a stranger knowing of you. Could have been a jealous lover of someone you killed, a family member… you had been cautious.  
  
“Do I know you?” you had inquired, not turning your gaze to her either.  
  
“Maybe,” she had replied coyly. “But, if not, you will soon enough. I have a proposition for you.”  
  
And from there, she had given you your first assignment. And it paid well. She had warned you the first time that she was taking a risk going for someone outside of the loop and to not disappoint her. You had believed she would follow up on her threat if you did not performed well. But, it had gone smoothly. And here you were. At a party, filled with criminals and people who groveled at their feet, knowing that they ran the money in the countries. This particular bash was being hosted by the Greeks, specifically Simon Kozma, who specialized in cocaine trade across the continent.  
  
You were here specifically waiting for your recognition from Lucia though, and the promise of your paycheck coming into your account the next morning.  
  
Your partner, Darius, was standing next to Lucia. His black hair was combed back neatly, as usual. He wore a fitted grey tux with a black tie. He moved his gaze to you, cocking an eyebrow. “You sure like to make an entrance, don’t you?” He asked, taking a sip of his drink, moving his eyes down your dress. “Could that slit get any higher?”  
  
“Makes it easier to get my gun.”  
  
“You’d have to reach around to the other leg,” he pointed out, his dark eyes twinkling. “Really exposing yourself then.”  
  
“Of course. Easy access. It’s a special night,” you replied, with a wink. He smirked broadly at this. You had chosen this dress on purpose because you did want to make an entrance. Deep red, plunging neckline… And it was a special night for you. You had successfully completed that big assignment to take out one of the biggest Albanian human traffickers. He had crossed Lucia for a lot of cash and she was certainly not going to stand for it. It would for sure set off a chain reaction, but she couldn’t let herself be insulted.  
  
“If you two are quite finished,” Lucia interrupted, her voice taut. Her lips were painted burgundy, matching her dark eye makeup. Her chestnut hair coiled back in a braided updo. Her olive skin shimmered underneath the glistening lights from the chandeliers.  
  
“Mi dispiace,” Darius apologized. He was grasping Italian quite quickly. Soon he would be a master of four languages you suspected. English, Farsi , Russian, and Italian. You only had English and Italian under your belt at the moment. Darius was trying to teach you Farsi, but it was going quite slowly.  
  
Shooting him a look, Lucia directed at you, “Is it done?”  
  
“Six feet under. Well, not yet. He’s still probably sitting at his desk with a hole through his head with all his so-called body guards around him dead on the floor. But, the phrase still stands,” you informed her.  
  
You caught a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Buon lavoro.” You nodded in acknowledgment. She sighed heavily, “Well, now that that is over with, I am going to go home and go to bed.” She looked between the two of you. “Now,” she began to warn. “I don’t need you two getting yourselves hurt tonight. Please, keep yourselves out of trouble.”  
  
“You really think I’m going to go wild at a party with a lot of beautiful women and alcohol?” Darius asked, playfully.  
  
“As if I need to answer that,” Lucia responded, cocking an eyebrow at him.  
  
“We will be fine,” you assured her before adding, “Although, I’m sure having a Fawad Khan look alike by my side, I’m going to be facing a lot of jealousy tonight. I might get shanked.” You added to Darius, “And yes, I know. Fawad is Pakistani and you are not.”  
  
Darius grinned at this and Lucia responded, “Yes, Darius should have been an actor in another life.”  
  
“In another life,” he agreed before finishing off his drink and placing it on the serving tray of a passerby waiter.  
  
Lucia leaned in giving Darius a kiss on both cheeks before doing the same to you. “I’m serious. I’m going to need you two tomorrow.”  
  
“Yes, ma'am,” Darius replied, giving her a sultry grin.  
  
With that, Lucia turned on her heel and walked off. You snickered seeing men turn their head to watch her walk away, her tight blue dress hugging her hips.  
  
“And she doesn’t even care that she could have any man – or woman – in this room,” Darius stated and you turned your attention back to him.  
  
You smiled at this and said, “I knew you two had a thing.”  
  
Darius scoffed, “In my dreams.” He looped his arm through yours. “I know she told us to be careful, but I feel like we need some shots.”  
  
“Do they give shots at a place as fancy as this?”  
  
“Only one way to find out,” Darius replied, directing you over towards a bar in the center of the room. “By the way, who are you to be talking about fancy? You are leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination with that dress.”  
  
“Let’s them know I’m down to hit them up in the bathroom stall,” you quipped. He laughed loudly at this.  
  
The pair of you approached the bar, Darius waving down the bartender.  
  
You turned your attention from the bar, looking around the room. It was packed with several types of people, criminal or not. Suddenly though, your eyes landed on a man, staring directly at you a few booths down. His eyes were alluring, an icy blue. His face was framed by combed over dark hair. He was obviously older than you, in his late thirties or early forties. He took a sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving you. You tore your eyes away from him, hearing Darius ask you what you wanted to drink.  
  
“Not too classy,” he confirmed under his breath before you answered him. You smirked, knowing he had asked about the shots.  
  
“I suppose a whiskey sour. And two shots of Jack,” you ordered.  
  
“Make that a double order,” Darius added to the bartender, who nodded going off to make the drinks.  
  
You brushed a piece of your hair out of your face and looked up at Darius. “You might have to make yourself up and disappear.”  
  
“What?” He asked confused, looking down at you.  
  
“I might actually hit up the bathroom,” you replied nonchalantly, and he let out an annoyed noise.  
  
“Seriously, Y/N? You can do better than a bathroom. Order a fricken hotel room. Don’t embarrass me. I can’t have it on my conscience that you got laid in a dirty stall. How could I work next to you after that? You ooze confidence – OW!”  
  
You had hit him hard and he laughed at the fact, rubbing his arm. “Oh my god,” you snapped. “I am not going to actually do it in the bathroom. Come on, give me some credit.”  
  
“I’ll give you some credit when you agree to hang out tonight. We rarely get a night off together and I kind of need this.” You turned your eyes up to him and he gave you a sheepish smile. “Please?”  
  
It was your turn to be annoyed. You let out a groan, “Can I at least go get the dude’s number?”  
  
“Who is it?”  
  
“The man sitting at the booth, three away. Dark hair, blue eyes,” you whispered to him. You grabbed the collar of his tux, forcing him to look you in the eyes. “And don’t be obvious.”  
  
Darius snorted at this before nonchalantly looking towards the stage, where a young lady was singing in a sultry voice, that was fortunately in the same direction as the man. He let out a low whistle, looking back down at the bar where the bartender had just set your drinks. “Oooh, boy. If that’s who I _know_ it is, you are not going to want to be messing around with that.” He grabbed one of the shots and held it up to you.  
  
Furrowing your brow, you picked one up as well, clinking it with him before taking it. “Who is it?” you questioned.  
  
“Castiel Andronikov.”  
  
Your mouth fell open slightly at this and you couldn’t help but look back over at him, catching his eye again. You looked away again. “How did I not recognize him?” you hissed at Darius.  
  
“Because you only pretend to study profiles of other crime bosses, whereas I always do. Quite thoroughly.” You agreed to this with a nod. He pressed on, “And thank God you have me here with you. A former enemy of his friend.”  
  
You remembered Darius’ issue with his man – his cousin –  that you could not remember the name of at the moment. Still, you pointed out, “He’s not an enemy.”  
  
Darius made a face at this, seeming to disagree. “Lucia will kill you.”  
  
“He doesn’t deal in the same business as her.”  
  
“Lucia will still kill you.”  
  
“Will you stop?”  
  
“Will you?”  
  
You glowered at him, picking up the other shot defiantly. “Deciding to go hard now?” he teased, clinking the glasses again, and downing them. “We probably shouldn’t get trashed at a place like this.”  
  
“You’re right.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“About both things.”  
  
“I know,” Darius repeated, throwing you a smile.  
  
You paused, and then inquired, “What if he approaches me?”  
  
“I will tell him to fuck off,” Darius stated simply.  
  
You let out a laugh at this. “Oh, really?”  
  
“No, not really. He would probably shoot me on the spot, point blank,” Darius admitted. “But you can use me as an excuse.”  
  
…  
  
Darius: I’m sorry.  
Lucia: Good job.  
  
<> <>  
  
Castiel tore his eyes away from the girl at the bar, turning his attention to his cousin, Dean. “Ty yeye znayesh’?”  
  
Dean looked up from his phone, “Kto?” His brother Sam looked up at Castiel as well, interested.  
  
“Krasnoye plat'ye. K bare,” Castiel stated, nodding over in the girls’ general direction.  
  
Dean and Sam both looked over, studying her for a moment before Dean nodded. Sam had a small smile plastered on his face, noticing her companion. This did not go unnoticed by Dean who glared at him across the table. Dean turned his attention back to Castiel, “Da. I vy tozhe.”  Castiel looked confused at this. “Oni lis i gonchaya Esposito v,” Dean explained.  
  
“Ya znayu Tehrani,” Castiel informed him, sounding slightly irritated. He knew the history between his cousin and Tehrani.  _But not her_ , he thought to himself.  
  
Castiel stole another glance over at her and accidentally caught her eye again. She looked away quickly, noticing he was looking at her. He moved his gaze back to Dean, “Ty uveren?”  
  
“Da. Lucia Esposito tol'ko chto razgovarival s nimi tam. Ne ochen’ tonkiy.” Dean threw Castiel a smirk. His smirk disappeared just as quickly, throwing a glare over in Darius’ direction. “Plyus ko vsemu, Darius i ya idu v obratnyy put’. YA by ne propustit’ yego.” His tone was sour. They had crossed paths before and it hadn’t ended well. Darius had sabotaged his mission, taking the target for himself.  
  
“Konechno, vy by ne stal,” Sam provoked, not looking up from his phone. Dean clenched his jaw.  
  
Before he could respond, Chuck slid into the booth beside Sam. He took a long drag off his cigarette, exhaling loudly. “What’s going on?” he noticed Dean’s sour expression.  
  
“Darius Tehrani,” Sam answered simply.  
  
With a small frown, Chuck looked over to where Sam was staring, and he turned back towards the group. “I’m surprised Y/N Y/L/N is here.”  
  
Castiel was suddenly interested. “Why?”  
  
Chuck gave a laugh, pulling out his phone. After a few seconds, he pushed his phone across the table to Castiel. “She’s been busy tonight.”  
  
Castiel grabbed the phone, picking it up to look at it. There were pictures of Besnik Dushku, dead. A bullet hole straight through his left eye, your signature. He was sitting at his desk, the painting behind him splattered with his blood.  
  
“How you know it was her?” Castiel asked, flicking his gaze back up at Chuck.  
  
“It’s my job for you, isn’t it? Finding out inside information?” Chuck responded, smiling boldly. He was an Englishmen, recruited for his knack of stealth through technology as well as his ability to bribe cops. He had obviously gotten these pictures from one of their rats. He finished his cigarette, putting it out. “Story is, Dushku crossed Esposita. Not a smart thing to do. Especially when she’s got two of the best assassins on her side.”  
  
Castiel focused back on Y/N, his eyes traveling slowly up her body. His eyes lingered on her exposed leg, moving up to her face. He eyed Chuck, handing his phone back to him.  
  
…  
  
Castiel: “Do you know her?”  
Dean: “Who?”  
Castiel: “Red dress. By the bar.”  
Dean: “Yes. And so do you.” “They’re Esposito’s fox and hound.”  
Castiel: “I know Tehrani.”  → “You’re sure?”  
Dean: “Yes. Lucia Esoposito was just talking to them over there. Not very subtle.”  → “Plus, Darius and I go way back. I wouldn’t miss him.”  
Sam: “Of course you wouldn’t.”  
  
<> <> <>  
  
“God, we shouldn’t have done those shots so quickly,” Darius muttered to you, taking a sip of his drink.  
  
You chuckled, “If you are feeling so drunk, why are you continuing to sip on more alcohol? And it was you that said that we shouldn’t get too drunk here. We are probably a target for a lot of people.”  
  
“They wouldn’t touch us here. And you know that,” Darius responded confidently.  
  
“Abandoning your creed so quickly. Am I going to be holding back your hair tonight, dear?”  
  
Darius pushed your drink closer to you, “Smart ass. Drink up.”  
  
“Taxi it is then. What will we tell Lucia in the morning?”  
  
“She will forgive us.”  
  
You were going to respond but someone appeared next to you, leaning in close. You instinctively moved closer to Darius, staring the person down. He was a younger man, probably in his early 40s.  
  
He smirked slightly, seeing you tense up at him. “Stand down, soldier,” he chuckled. “I’m here to buy you a drink from Mister Andronikov.” You relaxed instantly before throwing Darius’ a self-satisfied smirk. He clenched his jaw, slightly shaking his head at you. Ignoring him, you turned back to the guy. “Chuck,” he introduced himself. You opened your mouth and he said, “Don’t bother giving me a fake name. I know who you are, Y/N.”  
  
You were somewhat surprised but brushed it off. You sighed, “Well, you can let Mister Andronikov know I would love a drink, but I would feel bad taking it. Because I, unfortunately, must decline anything past a drink. I am having bonding time with my friend here.”  
  
“Darius,” Chuck stated flatly, acknowledging Darius finally.  
  
“Chuck,” Darius replied, just as uninterested in being friendly as Chuck, staring straight ahead at the bar, taking another drink.  
  
Peering at Darius perplexed as to how he knew this guy, you clicked your tongue, before looking back at Chuck. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the thrill, or maybe it was how attractive you found this Castiel Andronikov. To be honest, it could be all three. But, you were feeling adventurous, ignoring the potential consequences. You grabbed a napkin from the bar, snatching a pen out of your wallet, scrawling down your number. You held the napkin out to Chuck.  
  
“To make up for it. For another time.”  
  
“Cosa fai?” Darius demanded under his breath in your ear, as Chuck picked up the napkin. You knew he was purposely speaking in Italian because you guessed he knew that Chuck did not know the language.  
  
“Dandogli il mio numero?“ you answered.  
  
“Sì, vedo che. Quello è il problema,” Darius hissed back at you. You sighed, shrugging at him, bringing your glass back to your lips, taking a long drink. He shook his head, pulling away from you. “Questa è una cattiva idea, amore.”  
  
You brushed him off, gazing back at Chuck. He shot one more look at Darius before saying, “Well, I am sorry to hear that tonight will not work out. I’m sure Mister Andronikov will be as well. But, hopefully another time. Good night, miss.” He turned on his heel, walking off.  
  
“Asshole,” Darius muttered under his breath, finishing off his drink.  
  
…  
  
Darius: “What are you doing?”  
You: “Giving him my number?”  
Darius: “Yeah, I see that. That is the problem.” → “This is a bad idea, love.”  
  
<> <> <>  
  
Chuck sat back down at the table, tossing the napkin over at Castiel. “No dice. For tonight.” He added the last part quickly.  
  
Dean and Sam, as well as the other men at the table, watched Castiel closely for his reaction. “Her reason?” He finally asked, sounding dangerous.  
  
Chuck pulled his box of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, sticking one in his mouth. “She’s having a bonding night, whatever that means, with Tehrani. They seem to be celebrating. And I think we all know why,” He replied, before lighting the cigarette up. He inhaled deeply before exhaling smoke. “She seemed well on her way to being tanked.” He gestured at the napkin. “If you would pick that up, she did give you her number.”  
  
Castiel moved his eyes to the napkin. He reached out, picking it up, examining it.  
  
Looking at Dean, Chuck added, “By the way, Tehrani did not seem pleased.” Dean gave an amused laugh at this, causing Chuck to beam.  
  
Tucking the napkin into his jacket pocket, Castiel turned his eyes back towards the bar, seeing Y/N picking up her wallet from the bar. She turned slightly, her eyes meeting his. She gave him a sensual look before turning away, walking in front of Darius. Castiel caught Darius’ eye, who was in turn, staring threateningly at him. Castiel couldn’t help but curl his lips into a small smile. Darius’ expression did not change, holding his gaze for a few more seconds before turning around sharply, following Y/N through the crowd. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transferring my fanfics over from Tumblr. This was originally posted April 29, 2016. I only went through and edited it slightly.
> 
> And I used Google Translate for the Russian and Italian, so I apologize for the mistakes that are most definitely there. I post with the phonetic pronunciation of the languages, rather than the alphabet (this applies to the Russian, really). There are translations at the end of each section. I only use a little of each language to insinuate that they are speaking in that language.

You woke up the next morning, blinking, trying to remember where you were at. You looked around the room, taking it in. You were in a large bed with white sheets. There were huge curtains on the other side of the room on the windows. Besides this, there was not a lot of decoration in the room: the hardwood floor and two small bed side tables on either side of the bed. There were two closed doors on one side of the room and an open one on the other where you could see into a hallway. You finally placed yourself in the room in Athens. At least, you hoped it was yours.

Someone walked in the door, startling you. “Goddammit, Darius,” you groaned, laying back down on the bed. You were relived though, seeing him and not some random man. You had fallen asleep together thankfully.

“Hey, I feel as shitty as you do,” he uttered, carrying two cups of coffee. He was shirtless, in his boxers, and his hair was all over the place. A rare sight even for you. He was always meticulous about his appearance, but apparently a fifth of scotch ebbed his need to bounce out of bed and style his hair.

You did feel like crap. Your stomach was clenched, nauseated. You had a slight headache, but it would be tolerable. He placed one of the cups on the bedside table next to you before walking over towards the curtain. “Alzati e brillare, amore.”

He pulled on a string, opening the curtain open. You groaned, throwing a pillow over your face as sunlight basked the room. “No, no,” he scolded you. You heard him walking back over towards you on the bed. “We need to get up. Drink your coffee. And throw on a swimsuit and dress. We need to be on that boat with Lucia in 40 minutes.”

“What time is it?” you whined, pulling the pillow away from your face, squinting up at him. The window took up the entire back wall. The ocean expanded in front of you and you had to admit as annoyed and sick as you felt, it was a beautiful sight. Some of the perks of being in with rich people. Rich criminals, but rich people nonetheless.

“9:10,” Darius replied, walking over to one of the doors and flinging it open, disappearing inside. “I wasn’t kidding about the forty minutes.” You heard him turn the water on in the sink, beginning to get ready.

You sat up in the bed, rubbing your eyes, trying to ignore the feeling of wanting to puke. You picked up the coffee and took a small sip. You made a face as it hit your stomach. It was not helping. You coughed loudly, wiping at your mouth.

“There are pickles in the fridge in the kitchen!” Darius called from the bathroom. “Apparently even wasted, we still remember cheap hangover cures.”

“Let’s hope it works,” you mumbled, throwing your legs over the side of the bed and standing up.

…  
  
Darius: Rise and shine, love.  
  
<> <> <>  
  
Your heels clicked on the floor of the yacht. When you had arrived, you picked up a large plate of food from inside the boat’s dining room and sat at the table. Lucia did not have to say a word to let you two know that she was irritated. She could tell you both were hung over just by the look of you. You had thrown on sunglasses to try to hide your red rimmed eyes as had Darius. You had managed to make your hair look sleek but did not have time for makeup.  
  
You approached the lounging chairs. Angelica pushed her sunglasses up to look at you. She smirked at what she saw. “Looking flawless as always,” Angelica noted, her tone laced with sarcasm, laying back down, placing her glasses back down. Were you really that obvious with the nausea and headache? Angelica was Lucia’s youngest sister who had no interest in the family business whatsoever besides the money perks. She was a spitting image of Lucia, just as beautiful and just as graceful.  
  
You ignored this jab, pulling your dress over your head, revealing your swimsuit below. “New boy toy?” you asked, throwing a look over at a young man at the bar who you had never seen before.  
  
“For the trip,” Angelica responded. You snorted at this. She picked up her sun lotion from beside her, holding it out to you. You reached out, grabbing it before starting to put it on.  
  
Laying back on the chair, you made yourself comfortable. You must have been laying there for a good half hour before your phone rang beside you and you looked over lazily. When you picked up from the small table next to you, you didn’t recognize the number. You contemplated sending it to voicemail, but you decided against that.

 

“Ciao?” you answered.  
  
“Dobroye utro,” you heard from the other end of the phone.  
  
Instantly, you sat up, hearing the Russian.  _Jesus Christ_ , you thought to yourself. You had almost forgotten you had given your number out last night. Not to mention you had given it out to a Russian crime lord.  _Stupid, stupid, stupid_. You cleared your throat and asked calmly, “This who I think it is?” Angelica titled her head up to look over interested, giving you an expectant look.  
  
“Who you think it is?” you could hear the flirtation in his voice.  
  
“Um, hold on.” You moved the phone away from your mouth slightly and looked at Angelica, who was still staring daggers at you, looking curious. You stood up from the chair and muttered, “Scusami.”  
  
“English, Y/N. English!” Angelica declared, mocking being annoyed with you for forgetting. She was trying to master her English and you were supposed to speak to her in English only. You had promised.  
  
“Of course. Excuse me a minute,” you apologized, turning away from her to walk quickly towards a secluded part of the boat deck. You caught her frown before you had turned away.  
  
“Si sta per avere linee di abbronzatura negative con quel tipo di costume da bagno,” Eula, Lucia’s other sister, commented lazily, reclining on her chair, as you walked by.  
  
You waved her off annoyed. “You are busy?” Castiel inquired curiously.  
  
Getting some privacy, you resumed your conversation. “If you consider sun bathing with a bunch of women busy, then yes, I guess I am,” you responded.  
  
He gave a little laugh, “Net. That is typical day for me.”  
  
“I’m sure,” you blurted. You hope that it hadn’t sounded rude.  
  
There was a slight pause and he spoke again, “You mean to give me your number or were you just drunk?”  
  
You almost laughed at his directness. He wasn’t one to make bullshit small talk. You smiled slightly, taunting, “Both.”  
  
“Hmm,” you heard him contemplate. “So, you meet up with me before I go home to Moscow?”

_God, his accent was driving you wild._  
  
“Depends.”  
  
“On?”  
  
“Schedules.” He made a small noise, that you assumed was in agreement with what you said. You clicked your tongue and said, “I’m going to go out a limb here and say one of your last places here in Greece is Santorini.” You were going there with Lucia, Darius, and countless others for a reason. Lucia and her father, Mattea, were meeting with Katsuro Horigoshi, a Yakuza crime lord. Lucia was not pleased with the meeting, as she always was when she was around Horigoshi, considering Horigoshi dabbled in human trafficking. Not to mention that Horigoshi was sexist as fuck. But, her father was going for the connections to sell his guns in Horigoshi’s area. They needed to renew and renegotiate their deal. Horigoshi made few trips to Europe, so it was safe to assume that he would be meeting with Castiel and the other mobs he had connections with as well since he was already here.  
  
You had been vague about your sentence on purpose, in case your assumption was incorrect. To your relief, it was not.  
  
“Da,” he responded. “Yes.” He quickly corrected himself.  
  
You could feel your nerves tingling, excited. “I’m sure we will run into each other,” you offered.  
  
“Hopefully more than that,” he ventured, his tone sounded lascivious.  
  
You couldn’t help feeling aroused by this. You knew you shouldn’t be doing this; that may have been partially why you were so excited about it.

 

“We’ll see,” you forced yourself to reply steadily, putting a twinge of mischief in your voice.  
  
“Yes, we will.” His tone was oozing confidence. “Enjoy your sun.”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“Goodbye, Y/N,” he stated, your name rolling off his tongue. You heard him hang up and you pulled your phone away from your ear, staring down at it, trying to decide if you were walking into a trap or not. Honestly, you didn’t care either way.

…  
  
Castiel: Good morning.  
Eula: You are going to have bad tan lines with that type of swimsuit.  
  
<> <> <>

 

Castiel hung up the phone with Y/N, putting it back into his shirt pocket. He grabbed his water bottle off the table in front of him, taking a long drink. He placed it back down, inhaling deeply. The door behind him burst open, noise filling the room. He didn’t budge, still staring out of the window. He was expecting them. One of them, which Castiel knew damn well who it was, was incoherently pleading frantically.

“Zatkni past’!” Sam shouted from behind him, before he heard a sickening punch, a loud cry following quickly.

Sam strode up beside Castiel. “On byl bor'boy.”

Castiel acknowledged this, shooting Sam a look. “Ja by ne stal ozhidat’ chego-to men'she.” He clapped his hands together loudly before exclaiming. “Teper’, ya ne schastliv , chtoby nayti sebya v etoy gryaznoy , zabroshennoy kvartire, Alexei.” He turned around slowly to face the room. One of his Boyeviks, Alexei, was on his knees, his hands tied behind his back, no weapons on him. Sam and Dean stood off to the side, while two other Boyeviks, Lev and Matvei, stood beside Alexei. “No uyedineniye trebuyetsya.”

“Please – “ Alexei started to say.

He was instantly quieted because his jaw was met with a hard punch by Lev.

“Back off. Let the traitor speak,” Castiel ordered Lev. Lev immediately backed away from Alexei, who spit blood onto the carpet. Castiel stepped closer, sneering, “I am very interested in what excuses he has for betraying my trust.”

“I did not betray you!” Alexei sputtered, wincing as he spoke. His jaw did not look good.

Castiel crouched down in front of him, staring him directly in the eyes. “You still lie. To my face?”

“I am not – “

Castiel would not let him interrupt, raising his voice, cutting him off. “When I have video evidence of you meeting and giving information to Nikoli!” Alexei’s face drained of color, giving Castiel all the evidence he needed to confirm the betrayal. He exhaled deeply, reaching out, patting Alexei’s face roughly. He stood up and cleared his throat. He looked thoughtful, shaking his head. “After all I have done for you…”

Alexei was breathing heavily, staring up at Castiel, looking terrified. His expression was hard to read but Alexei knew that this was not going to end well for him.

And he was right.

Suddenly, Castiel swung back before slamming his fist down onto Alexei’s face with a sickening crack.

“You would still be rotting in a prison! Getting raped and man handled if it wasn’t for me!” He roared at Alexei, before socking him again from the other side, knocking Alexei onto his side. Alexei cried out when the toe of Castiel’s shoe dug in under his ribs with a sharp, brutal kick. “But, you choose to go behind my back!” He was snarling now, unhinged. Hatred, anger, and adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Castiel quickly slipped a knife out from his back pocket, leaning over and cutting through the binding on Alexei’s hands. He threw the knife aside, almost hitting Dean in the leg.

“Watch it!” Dean snapped.

Castiel took no notice of him as he grabbed Alexei by the collar pulling him closer only to strike him again in the jaw, sending him sprawling onto his back. Castiel dove down, placing his knee on Alexei’s chest, his hands wrapping around Alexei’s neck, squeezing down. Alexei was choking, uselessly trying to claw and struggle against Castiel’s weight as well as his grip. He was in too much pain and at loss for air to put up a real fight. Yet, he tried.

Part of Castiel felt exhilarated watching and feeling Alexei struggle for survival underneath him. The other part of him was further infuriated that Alexei was, while receiving just punishment, still trying to fight against him. He tightened his grip, his fingers closing in like a vise. Alexei reached up, trying to scratch at Castiel’s face but Castiel yanked Alexei up by his neck before slamming him back down on the dirty linoleum floor, repeatedly.

Alexei’s feet twitched beneath Castiel, trying to hit anything to knock Castiel off balance. But, it wasn’t working. There was an increase of struggle from Alexei before he contorted, his movements slowing. He gurgled quietly, his eyes rolling back in his head. He stopped moving, his body limp on the ground.

Castiel held his grip for a few more seconds just to make sure before slowly letting go. He was breathing heavily; his face was wet with sweat. He pushed himself up off of the ground, looking down at Alexei’s lifeless body. He cracked his neck before turning around and going back towards the table for his water.

There was a few moments of silence as Castiel finished off his water, throwing the empty bottle into the corner of the room. “Was throwing the knife at me necessary?,” Dean commented, still wanting an apology.

“Stop being a baby,” Castiel stated, still trying to get his breathing under control. He turned around again to face Dean. “I needed to at least give him a chance to fight back. Makes it that much more exciting.” The fact that he could talk about killing someone as exciting, as if it was a game, was a trait that made him all the more menacing.

He turned his attention towards Lev and Matvei. “Get rid of the body.” They immediately jumped to action.

Castiel looked down at his clothes, seeing Alexei’s blood splattered on them as well as grime and dirt from the floor. He let out a disgusted noise and snapped, “Mne nuzhno izmenit’.”

He picked up his sunglasses off of the table before walking towards the door. Dean and Sam followed him out to the stairwell going down the stairs, leaving the other two to finish the job.

…  
  
Sam: Shut the fuck up!  
Sam: He’s been a struggle.  
Castiel: I wouldn’t expect anything less.  
Castiel: Now, I am not happy to find myself in this dirty, abandoned apartment, Alexi. But privacy is needed.  
Castiel: I need to change.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transferring my fanfics over from Tumblr. This was originally posted April 29, 2016. I only went through and edited it slightly.
> 
> And I used Google Translate for the Russian and Italian, so I apologize for the mistakes that are most definitely there. I post with the phonetic pronunciation of the languages, rather than the alphabet (this applies to the Russian, really). There are translations at the end of each section. I only use a little of each language to insinuate that they are speaking in that language.

Stalking over to the private table Mattea had ordered for himself, you scanned the crowd looking for Castiel. You had not seen him yet and the place was packed. Horigoshi had rented out a large property for his gathering of European’s finest. The property included a large lawn and garden as well as an extensive house. People were getting to the point of becoming intoxicated, the laughter growing. You had not had a drop, due partially to your duty to ensure that Matteo and his family would be safe and also because of your behavior a few nights previous. Lucia had forgiven you two but you knew it was best to not test her patience.  
  
You walked past the group of Mafioso surrounding Mattea’s table with ease. You stopped at the back of a chair opposite to where he was sitting. Waiting for further instruction, you stayed quiet. He had asked for you to come to him, nothing past that.  
  
“Siediti,” Mattea ordered. You obliged him, pulling the chair out and taking a seat. You leaned back in the chair, looking across the table at Mattea. He studied you for a moment, before looking down at his food, taking a clam out of the shell, placing it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, moving his eyes back to you before swallowing. “Hai fatto un buon lavoro,” he finally said.  
  
“Grazie,” you responded.  
  
“Lucia ha fatto bene a trovare te. Non ho mai dubitato che.” You didn’t say anything to this. A compliment from him was something to be cherished, not to be tarnished with interrupting him or saying something that may offend him. “Ho intenzione di bisogno di te in pochi giorni. Ho un incontro in Serbia.” He studied you for a moment before inquiring quietly, “Posso contare su di te?”  
  
“Sì.”  
  
“Buona. Riceverai i dettagli al più presto. Buona giornata.” With that quick dismission, he resumed picking at his plate, signaling the end of the meeting.  
You stood up from the table without a word, giving him a nod. Turning, you left the table, making your way back into the crowd of people.  
  
Darius was leaning against a short wall that was overlooking the cliff to the ocean. He had two glasses of champagne in his hand. He extended one to you, you taking it. So much for not drinking anything. But, you didn’t expect any less when it came to him. He could be tanked and still be able to shoot someone with precision without an issue. “What did the big boss want, caramellino?” Darius asked, tapping his glass against yours before taking a drink.  
  
“Serbia.”  
  
“So, we will be together on yet another mission.”  
  
“Seems like it,” you replied, taking a long drink, your eyes moving around the crowd. You were still looking for Castiel. Had he arrived yet? You quickly scolded yourself for being so hung up on whether he showed his face and whether he sought you out.  
  
Darius took notice of your absentmindedness. “Look, they have great security at this place. You don’t have to worry about threats.”  
  
You decided to go with this, that you were looking for threats. “As if you are not looking for potential psychopaths?”  
  
He gave a shrug, “That’s beside the point. I just have to try to assure you that you’re fine. Relax. Enjoy your drink.”  
  
“I know I am fine,” you replied, giving him a flirtatious smile.  
  
“There you are,” he replied, chuckling lightly, taking another drink.  
  
You moved to be beside him, leaning against the wall. “There are too many people here,” you commented, moving your gaze up to the next level of the house. You were met with a piercing stare. Your chest froze, seeing Castiel staring directly at you from the balcony. How long had he been watching you? He was casually leaning, both hands on the railing, watching you intently.  
  
He gave a slight jerk of his head, gesturing for you to come up. You broke the gaze, moving your eyes back down to the crowd around you. Trying to regain your breath and focus, you tilted your glass up to your lips, finishing off your drink. Which was probably the opposite of regaining focus, but you needed some liquid courage for this. And again, you felt silly for feeling that way. He was just a man. An extremely intriguing… seductive man.  
  
“You need a refill?” you blurted, looking over at Darius.  
  
Darius cocked an eyebrow at this, peering at your now empty glass. He looked quickly at his still half full glass before replying, “You do know we are actually on the clock right now technically? Not officially, but technically.”  
  
Giving him a smug look, you quipped, “I thought there weren’t any threats.”  
  
“Ass,” he muttered before downing the champagne and then holding his glass out to you. “Alright, you got me. Yes, I would love another. Be quick about it.”  
  
“Yes, master,” you said sarcastically, standing up straight with both glasses.  
  
You made your way towards the bar until you were sure you were lost in the crowd from Darius’ viewpoint. You made a sharp turn going towards the inside of the house, to try to find the staircase to get to the second level balcony.  
Locating it quickly, you placed the empty glasses on a random table. You ascended the stairs, pushing your way past people. At the top of the stairs, someone stepped in front of you, blocking your path. You leaned back, ready to attack if need be, but recognized the man from the other night. Chuck.  
  
“They’re probably going to pat you down to make sure you don’t have weapons,” He informed you. You narrowed your eyes slightly and he laughed lightly, “No matter how much interest you show in Mr. Andronikov, they are still going to worry it is all a show.” He nodded, gesturing his head back at a hallway. “He’s back there.”  
  
You studied him for a few seconds before replying, “Thanks.”  
  
“No, problem, Fox,” he stated, using your nickname. “Good luck,” he offered before disappearing back into the crowd, leaving you alone again.  
  
Slightly taken aback by his intrusion, you made your way towards the hallway. His insinuation that you had shown any interest in Castiel was bothersome to you for a reason you couldn’t quite pinpoint… but yet, you knew you had. By even giving him your number in the first place. Answering your phone, for another. And also letting him dictate your behavior by drawing you upstairs to meet him.  _Stupid_ , you thought to yourself for the umpteenth time.  
  
You turned down the hallway where Chuck said that Castiel was. You spotted two men standing outside a room, which you could only assume was the one Castiel was occupying. One of the men turned his head to look at you when you approached. He was tall, muscular, and brown haired. “Arms out,” he ordered, his accent thick.  
  
Way to just cut to the chase. “Please?” you said mockingly, but did as he asked, lifting your arms up. You noticed he smirked slightly at your defiance. His hands traced down your body, feeling your arms and moving down your torso. It was nothing new, you faced this treatment every time you went somewhere where you had the potential of meeting someone important and invaluable. You turned your gaze to the other guy, standing there. He was examining you closely and you couldn’t help but quip, “You want a picture, sugar?”  
  
His green eyes met yours and he licked his bottom lip before saying, “Petukh, ne tak li?”  
  
“Pardon?” you asked as the other guy finished his search, standing up.  
  
The green eyed man had a small smile plastered on his face, turning his eyes away from you as the tall one reached out behind him, opening the door to the room. “Yasno,” he announced over his shoulder. He flicked his eyes back to you before nodding for you to walk inside.  
  
You moved past him slowly, looking him up and down before entering the room. He truly was massive and intimidating. Moving into the room, you found Castiel standing in the corner, his fingers tracing the spines of the books on one of the shelves. You looked quickly around the room, a habit you had formed. Which had saved your life many times. It was a study. There was a large, marble fireplace, sitting chairs, wall to wall bookshelves, a desk, and large picture windows.  
  
The door closed behind you, and he turned his head to look at you. “You did not bring anyone else?” he questioned, sounding surprised.  
  
You looked at him, frowning slightly. “Was I supposed to?”  
  
He turned away from the bookshelf to face you, moving his cup in a small circle, swirling his drink. “I would have expected you not to trust me,” He admitted.  
  
Shrugging, you walked a few steps closer to him, standing next to a chair, placing your hand on the back of it. “I can handle myself.”  
  
A smile grew on his face, his eyes twinkling at this. His eyes traveled down your body, taking it in. “I’m sure.” He moved towards you. “How you enjoy the party?”  
  
“It is extravagant…” you replied, trailing off. He titled his head to the side, looking at you thoughtfully, waiting for you to finish. “But boring.”  
  
He laughed at this and wagged a finger at you, “You do not let Horigoshi hear that.”  
  
“I honestly do not care if he hears me.”  
  
Castiel looked at you, his gaze becoming more penetrating. “You are not quiet?” His tone was suggestive.  
  
Your breath hitched in your throat at this. He was not subtle. Why was he so good at catching you off guard? You regained footing quickly. “In certain circumstances, no,” you replied coyly, matching his gaze.  
  
He looked amused at this response. “It is good to have variety.” He breathed out deeply, “I agree with you, though. Horigoshimi knows how to throw money but not how throw a party. Apparently, he think if there is enough alcohol, fun will be had.”  
  
You shrugged again. “It’s a good rule of thumb. Let’s not discredit the poor man.”  
  
“I do not discredit him,” He stated, shaking his glass in his hand, the ice clinking. “I did see you enjoy your alcohol,” he noted, and you must have looked slightly offended because he quickly added. “That is good thing in Russia.”  
  
“You guys the same as Ireland?”  
  
“If you want to be stereotypical, I suppose,” he answered with a snicker, finally closing the space between you two. He placed the glass down on the desk next to you two. His gaze was eager, leering. “This party is not good meeting place for us, I admit. This room is the most privacy I could arrange. I know you take risk meeting with me.”  
  
The fact that he was acknowledging that he knew that you were doing something that could potentially get you in trouble only made your desire for wanton indulgence with him deepen.  
  
“As if someone couldn’t be watching us right now?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper, watching his lips.  
  
“I would not doubt it,” he replied. He moved in closer, peering down his nose at you. His hand snaked out and you tensed up slightly. If he had noticed this, he did not show it. He gently pushed your hair away from your face, his fingers ghosting along your neck. A shudder ran through you involuntarily at the contact. And you desperately wanted more. “How you feel about meeting me privately? For real?”  
  
“In Moscow?”  
  
He smiled slyly. “You move fast.” You couldn’t help but blush at this, feeling embarrassed you had assumed he wanted you back at his home. This time, he noticed and acknowledged your uncomfortable expression. “If you would like, perhaps soon. It would be my pleasure to treat you… in multiple ways.” His eyes moved slowly down your body, lingering on your breasts. You sharply inhaled, your arousal rising with his proximity and his insinuation. You tried to block out thoughts of his lips on your skin… sucking and licking you in all the right places.  
  
You shook the feeling quickly and chirped forcefully, “I hardly think a phone call and a meeting in a back study gives you any idea of what you want and don’t want.”  
  
“Trust me, malen'kaya lisa,” He replied, the desire in his eyes breathtaking, his tone coquettish. “I’m looking at what I want.” He said this in a low voice, with fervor, his eyes locking with yours. This overt salacious behavior was something you encountered often but it was few and far between where it was coupled with your matching desire.  
  
“What did you call me?” you asked, finally finding your voice again.  
  
The smile on his face was smug. “I tell you in Munich in a week. I will give specifics later.” He picked your hand up, placing a soft kiss on the back of it, his eyes never leaving yours. “Until next time.”  
  
He turned on his heel, leaving you standing there. You watched as he walked between his men, who followed him.  
  
…  
  
Matteo: Sit down. You did a good job.  
You: Thank you.  
Matteo: Lucia did well finding you. I have never doubted that. I am going to need you in a few days. Can I count on you?  
You: Yes.  
Matteo: Good. You will receive the details soon.  
  
Darius: Little caramel  
  
Dean: Cocky, aren’t you?  
  
Sam: Clear.  
  
Castiel: Little fox  
  
<> <> <>  
  
Still trying to shake off the aroused feeling that Castiel had ignited, you pushed your sunglasses back down, walking through the crowd back on the main floor back into the sunlight. The way he had just assumed that you would agree to meet him in Germany without asking you how you felt was surprisingly not insulting. You felt titillated, wishing nothing more for it to be a week from now. Just to be in his presence again. He was captivating and drew you towards him. He was going to be trouble and you knew it.  
  
You spotted Angelica, flirting with her… thing. You couldn’t call him a boyfriend. She saw you approaching and sent him off before you stopped in front of her. You tried to push Castiel out of your mind.  
  
“He’s getting us drinks,” she stated, tapping your arm. “And yes, you included!”  
  
“I don’t think that is wise,” you mumbled. She furrowed her brow at you and you continued, “Have you seen your sister?”  
  
Before she could respond, someone, whose voice you didn’t recognize, demanded your attention. “Y/N!” You turned slightly, your eyes falling on none other than Shtjefen Dushku, the son of the man you had just killed days before.  
  
Sighing loudly, you turned to face him fully. You didn’t want this to escalate, not here, especially with Angelica beside you. She couldn’t’ get hurt because of this ogre. You had to play your cards right and keep control over the situation. Where was Darius? Always off doing something when you really needed him.  
  
“Shtjefen,” you greeted him, giving him a large, fake smile. “What a pleasure. What brings you here?”  
  
“Cut the bullshit,” he sneered, stepping closer to you. You took into account that he had three men behind him and you had none.  
  
“Alright, rude,” you commented, crossing your arms across your chest. “What seems to be up your ass today?”  
  
His tone was threatening, “Ju mendoni se ju mund të merrni larg me atë që keni bërë?”  
  
“I don’t speak your dogshit language, Shtjefen,” you quipped.  
  
He cocked his head slightly, a shallow smile appearing on his face. He leaned in towards you and you cocked an eyebrow. His accent was heavy when he informed you quietly, “I know it was you.”  
  
“You’re going to have to be a little more specific.”  
  
“Don’t fuck with me, bitch.” You couldn’t help but smile broadly at this. “You won’t be smiling when I get done with you.”  
  
“I’ll hold you to that.”  
  
He chuckled darkly, pulling away from you again. “I’m sure you will. You’ll get yourself in mess one day. Hopefully, if things go my way, sometime soon.” You narrowed your eyes behind your sunglasses at him, somewhat disbelieving he was threatening you in the middle of a crowded party. But, this was someone who was desperate.  
  
You heard Angelica behind you, “Dai, Y/N.”  
  
Shtjefen tossed a glance at Angelica, his eyes roaming her body, before looking back at you, “You surround yourself with whores,” He smirked, “It’s fitting, Y/N.”  
  
Him insulting Angelica was gloves off. “You wanna repeat that?” you demanded, stepping closer to Shtjefen. You felt Angelica stiffen behind you.  
  
“Y/N,” she warned, sounding nervous.  
  
Both you and Shtjefen ignored her. He gave you a malicious grin, staring down at you. “Whores flock together,” he replied, slowly, emphasizing every word.  
  
Your lips curled into a tight smile before you leaned in and spat quietly, “I’d watch the way you talk to me, Shtjefen. Unless you want to have a matching eye with your daddy.” His expression quickly fell, and you smirked, self-satisfied. You turned to walk Angelica away from the situation.  
  
You had a split-second warning when Angelica began to gasp before you felt a hand in your hair, coiling. You registered what was happening when you were yanked back harshly, whipped around. You felt a sharp blow as Shtjefen back handed you, knocking you back against a random party goer, who luckily didn’t lose their balance when you collided with them. Your sunglasses hit the ground, your face was throbbing.  
  
Fuck party etiquette.  
  
Shoving yourself off the poor person who got sucked into this, you launched back at Shtjefen, socking him in the jaw. You ducked under his next blow, before coming back up with your elbow, hitting him sharply in the side of the head. He bounced back quickly, aiming for your face again. You successfully blocked him, but his other hand came down, blasting you in your side. You grimaced feeling the impact. Ducking underneath another blow, you cut his legs out from underneath him with precision. You noticed him reaching for his boot, no doubt for a knife. Fighting dirty. You were not surprised. His hand was met with the toe of your shoe before you brought your fist down onto his nose; the sound was sickening. You had definitely broken it.  
  
You vaguely heard Darius behind you and you were going to deal another hit, but you were yanked back.  
  
“Unë do të ju vrasin, ju shkatarraq!” Shtjefen bellowed, as his men held fast onto him. Blood was pouring down from his nose.  
  
“Again with that bullshit language!” you spat, throwing your arm out, Darius holding tight onto you to keep you from attacking again. “I’m fine!” you snarled at him, escaping his grasp roughly. You gave him an incredulous look. You were still shaking from the adrenaline and also because you were still furious.  
  
You turned away from Shtjefen so you didn’t have to see his face anymore, closing your eyes trying to calm yourself down. You felt hands at your jaw and you winced, pulling away. “I’m fine!” you snapped again at Darius.  
  
“You might have a fracture!” Darius hissed at you, before grabbing your arm roughly, to pull you back to him.  
  
Scoffing loudly, you snapped, “I highly doubt that. The cocksucker just back handed me! I have felt a fractured jaw. I’m just going to bruise, Darius.”  
  
Shaking his head, looking highly annoyed, Darius demanded, “Come on. Now.” You knew it was no use arguing with him, so you let him drag you away, Angelica following the pair of you closely. You were going to be in some deep shit with Lucia and Matteo. You suddenly remembered Castiel was still there and you shot a look over your shoulder to where you knew he was sitting on the balcony.  
  
_Shit,_ you thought to yourself seeing he was looking directly at you.  
  
…  
  
Shtjefen: You think you can get away with what you did?  
  
Shtjefen: I will kill you, you slut!  
  
<> <> <>  
  
“Oh, shit!” Chuck exclaimed, interrupting the conversation. He sat up quickly in his chair before shooting out of it to lean over the railing, staring at something down in the crowd.  
  
Castiel snapped to attention, turning in his chair to look over the railing, following Chuck’s gaze. It didn’t take him long to spot what the commotion was below. He spotted Y/N sprawled back against a random party goer. He furrowed his brow, assessing the situation, before connecting the dots seeing Besnik Dushku’s son, Shtjefen standing right in front of Y/N. He halfway stood up from his chair, watching with rapt attention.  
  
He watched Y/N throw herself at Shtjefen, hitting him straight in the jaw. His stomach tightened watching her being attacked by someone twice her size. They dealt blows to each other before she gained an upper hand, looking like she broke his nose. Castiel hadn’t noticed Tehrani shoving his way through the crowd before he was upon her, yanking her away from Shtjefen. Shtjefen’s men did the same with him when he tried to lunge back at her.  
  
Shtjefen shouted something at her and she looked furious, brushing him off. Tehrani was trying to diffuse the situation. He did so quickly, pulling her attention away from Shtjefen. He touched her face and Castiel couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at his hands on her. His fingers tracing her jawline… they should be his.  
  
He was satisfied to see her shove Tehrani’s hands away. They began moving through the crowd and she threw a look over her shoulder, directly to where he was sitting. She looked embarrassed before turning away quickly, following Tehrani.  
  
“The bitch can really bite,” Chuck cackled, sounding impressed, sitting back down in his chair, leaning back. He took a long drag on his cigar, wrapping his arm back around the young woman sitting next to him.  
  
Castiel sat back down as well, picking up his drink. “Ja by ne trakhnut’ yeye,” Sam commented, peering at Castiel, who stared back at him before taking a long sip.  
  
“Find out what happened,” Castiel ordered, looking at Chuck.  
  
“Aye aye, sir.”  
  
…  
  
Sam: I wouldn’t fuck her over.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transferring my fanfics over from Tumblr. This was originally posted April 29, 2016. I only went through and edited it slightly.
> 
> And I used Google Translate for the Russian and Italian, so I apologize for the mistakes that are most definitely there. I post with the phonetic pronunciation of the languages, rather than the alphabet (this applies to the Russian, really). There are translations at the end of each section. I only use a little of each language to insinuate that they are speaking in that language.

Matteo had been enraged initially, finding out that you had been in a brawl in the middle of the party. You had sat there, taking his screaming, trying to remain calm. He had sat you down at a table on the plane, everyone standing around uncomfortably as he chastised you.

“Mi hai messo in imbarazzo!” he had bellowed, slamming his fist down onto the table. His face had been red, his eyes bulging. “Dopo che si aveva elogiato per la vostra dedizione e il lavoro , si gira intorno e farmi apparire come un clown!” You didn’t dare interrupt him or make eye contact. You stared down around the ground by his desk.

“You finished your mission! It was over with! You do not go looking to pick fights with people afterward!” He continued ranting. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”

“Papà! “ Angelica tried desperately to get his attention. She had stood up from the far end of the plane and stormed over, tired of hearing him yell at you.

“Not now, Angelica!” He snarled at her, over his shoulder. “Go sit down!”

She didn’t listen to his order. She pressed on firmly, “Papa! You don’t understand! He started it. He –”

Matteo let out a loud, humorless laugh. “I do not care if you don’t think I understand –“

“He called me a whore!” Angelica barked. This caught Matteo off guard, his face immediately falling. You had flicked your eyes up, catching his demeanor switching. You cautiously watched the exchange. Angelica looked furious, determined. “He disrespected me, Papa! Y/N stood up to him. And he attacked her. He grabbed her hair and back handed her so hard she would have fell over if there hadn’t been someone behind her!”

Matteo stared at his daughter, still at loss for words. She let out a huff, staring right back at him, waiting for a reaction.

“This is true?” he asked you quietly, turning his gaze to you. You finally looked at him, giving a curt nod silently. He leaned back in his chair, looking contemplative…_

Needless to say, he had let you keep your job and accompany him to Serbia. You were on top of a building, watching Matteo converse with a small time Serbian gun trader through your scope. They had been talking for ten minutes which was unusually long, causing you to be on edge.

To your relief though, the Serbian held out his hand and Matteo took it firmly. They exchanged a few more words before Matteo turned around, walking off, followed by his men, including Darius. You stood in position until Matteo was out of sight, scanning the other rooftops for the hundreth time to make sure he wasn’t in a line of fire.

“Clear,” you confirmed quietly into your headset. You stood up, throwing the safety back on the rifle. Darius was on the other end of the headset, waiting for you.

“Fatto,” Darius responded from the other end.

When you reached the group again, rifle swung over your shoulder, Darius approached you, looking extremely proud. “I know you wouldn’t let us down.”

“There was nothing there,” you replied.

He threw his hands out. “They were sure you were around,” Darius chortled, before throwing an arm around your shoulder. He hugged you close. “They weren’t going to fuck with us then.” You had to laugh at this, following Matteo and the rest of the men back into the car to head to the airport to catch your plane.

…  
Matteo: You have embarrassed me! After I had praised you for your dedication and work, you turn around and make me look like a clown!

Darius: Got it.

<> <> <>

Castiel sat on one of the back balconies of his home, staring off into the yard where his sister’s children were playing.  
“Papa byl by gord,” his sister, Viktoriya, commented quietly across the table from him, catching his attention again.

He sighed shallowly, “Vyzhivshiye yeshche odin god.”

Viktoriya let out a sharp laugh. “I would call this more than surviving, Cas.” She took a long drink of her wine, placing the glass gently back on the table, her eyes moving out towards her children as well. Her husband had been an architect. They were married for 15 years before he had a stroke and passed away. He had left them with good money but nowhere near what Castiel brought in. Not even close.

“Matter of perspective,” Castiel agreed. “Are you going to send them to the school I suggested?”

“I have looked into it,” Viktoriya replied, nodding. She paused, swallowing sharply. “I think it is a good school. But, it is far away from me,” She finally said, sounding upset.

Castiel cleared his throat and sat forward, leaning across the table slightly. “Viktoriya, I know it is hard. But, this school is well renowned. And Nikolay is so smart. He needs to be in a good environment.”

“You could take him under your wing.”

“Do you really want him to be living like me?” She sighed loudly at this, shaking her head. He continued, “And I know you don’t. You love them too much to have them in danger.”

“I just do not want to lose them.”

“Vy ne budete. Ya ne pozvolyu etomu sluchit'sya.”

“Hey…” someone said, sounding unsure from behind them at the doorway. Castiel and Viktoriya turned around and Viktoriya could not hide the glee on her face seeing Chuck in the doorway. Chuck surely did not miss this. “Viktoriya,” Chuck greeted, giving her a bright smile walking over towards the table. Her lips curled up into a smirk, looking him over. She had a crush on him and Chuck knew it. He always toyed with it, never stepping over the line. Mainly because he feared what Castiel would do to him.

“Got the low down,” Chuck announced to Castiel as he sat down next to him. Castiel furrowed his brow, not understanding. Laughing slightly, Chuck explained, “Sorry, slang. The whole Russian to English thing is hard. Anyway, I know what happened at Horigoshi’s party.”

Straightening up, Castiel demanded, “What was it?”

“Shtjefen approached Y/N and said something to her in Albanian. And she commented that she couldn’t speak his dogshit language or something.” He paused at this and flashed a smile at Castiel, “Charming right? I thought it was hilarious. Anyway, Shtjefen insulted Angelica, Esposito’s youngest daughter. She was standing nearby,” Chuck explained. “He called her a whore. Actually, he called both of them whores.” Castiel rose his eyebrows at this and Chuck brushed him off, “I do not think Y/N cared much about him insulting her. But, she was obviously not standing for him insulting Angelica.”

“Apparently not,” Castiel agreed.

“So, she told him something about how he better watch what he said unless he wanted to end up like his dad.” Chuck let out a laugh and Castiel couldn’t help but smile at her bold behavior. “You’re playing with fire, my friend,” Chuck declared.

“Who are we talking about?” Viktoriya questioned, interrupting the two of them. Chuck fell silent, shooting a glance at Castiel, not wanting to say anything if Castiel didn’t want anything said.

Castiel looked slightly uncomfortable before he exhaled, “A woman.”

“A woman?” Viktoriya questioned, drawing a nod out of Castiel. She looked at him expectantly when he didn’t elaborate. “And?”

“I am interested,” Castiel said simply, shrugging.

Bringing her glass to her lips Viktoriya quipped, “Hopefully not another Ukranian prostitute…”

Castiel looked highly annoyed at this. She would not let his track record of looking for cheap thrills and cheaper women go unnoted. “Samyy dal'niy ot nego.”

“She would probably slit your throat for suggesting it,” Chuck noted, throwing a knowing glance at Viktoriya.

Viktoriya narrowed her eyes, turning her gaze to her brother, who was giving her a similar intense stare back. “I would not doubt it,” He agreed with Chuck. He added, “I ya ozhidayu, chto vy dolzhny byt’ otkryty.” He said this in Russian purposely, so Viktoriya would understand it clearly.

“If you insist,” Viktoriya said unconvincingly, placing her glass back on the table, standing up. Chuck stood up as well.

“I’ll walk you inside,” he insisted, and she blushed slightly at this, happy for the attention.

When Chuck returned, alone, he sat down again. “You are meeting her still?” he questioned.

“I plan on it. Whether she plans on it, I do not know.”

Chuck pondered this for a moment and asked cautiously, “Forgive my boldness, but do you think that this is wise?” Castiel gave him a knowing look and Chuck put his hands up slightly. “I am just asking if you have thought this through. It may be a ruse.”

“I do not think it is ruse,” Castiel assured him. “I can tell. I read people well.”

“True,” Chuck agreed.

“Plus, if it was ruse, I can fight better than Shtjefen,” Castiel quipped, drawing out a loud laugh from Chuck.

…  
Viktoriya: Dad would be proud.  
Castiel: Surviving another year.  
Castiel: You will not. I will not let that happen.  
Castiel: Farthest thing from it.  
Castiel: And I expect you to be open.

<> <> <>

You laid back, taking a long drag from the joint Darius had rolled for the two of you. You hesitated before exhaling slowly, the smoke swirling around your head. Darius laughed from beside you, reaching out to grab it from you. You moved your hand closer to him, letting him take it.

“I’m glad we get days off, Y/N,” he noted before bringing it to his lips, inhaling deeply.

“On our days off, we are pretty useless,” you commented, laying back on the sofa, extending your arms into a long stretch. Darius acknowledged this with a nod. You continued, “Luckily we are not held to the same standards of not over indulging and not going to clubs.” He nodded again, laughing.

Your phone rang loudly, interrupting the conversation. You picked it up, recognizing the number immediately. You had neglected, on purpose, to add the number to your contacts. You played it off perfectly, “Weird… hold on. I think it’s that telemarketer that’s been calling me.”

Darius held out his hand, “Oy, let me talk to them!”

“No, it’s fine,” you responded, brushing him off, standing up and walking off towards your balcony. You opened the door to the balcony, closing it behind you before answering. “Ciao?” You decided to pretend as if you didn’t recognize the number, answering as you normally would.

“You still want to meet in Munich?” His voice was cautious.

Wetting your lips, you answered, “Depends on what I am getting in Munich.”

You could swear you heard him smile on the other end of the line. “I have room. At the Charles Hotel. An executive suite, under the name König. Full room service, beautiful view…”

“Good company?” you speculated.

“Of course. I am checking in at 1pm. I expect you there around 8pm.”

“Expect me?” you questioned, without meaning to.

“Yes.”

You leaned against the railing on the balcony before cooing, “I’ll see what I can do, Mr. Andronikov.” You heard him exhale slowly on the other end of the phone, sounding aroused at this formal addressing. You decided to tuck away that small bit of information.

“I will be waiting. I would suggest wearing something nice,” he responded. “Do skorogo.”

“Goodbye,” you replied before hanging up your phone. Your hands were shaking slightly as you placed your phone back into your pocket. Were you really going to do this? Yes. It will be okay, you reassured yourself before opening the door back into your room, stepping back inside.

…  
Castiel: Until next time.

<> <> <>

Deciding on what to wear to this was a little tough considering you didn’t know how “nice” the outfit was supposed to be. Black never fails, you decided, choosing a form fitting black dress.

You had just arrived at the hotel. It was 7:50. Nothing like cutting it close. You got out of the taxi, the door being opened by a porter.

“Guten abend,” he said cheerfully. “Wilkommen bei The Charles Hotel. Mein name ist Josef. Ich werde Sie heute abend zu helfen.”

“Thank you,” you replied, sounding a little uncertain, not sure of what he said.

He noticed your use of English, switching almost effortlessly. “Do you have bags?”

“Yes, one in the trunk,” you answered, and he made to go to the back of the taxi. “Thank you.”

He came back to your side, your bag in hand. “This way, ma'am.” You followed him inside. You took in the hotel, taken aback by the interior. You had checked out the hotel online, seeing what you were getting yourself into. But, the pictures were not doing this place justice.

Approaching the front desk, the porter turned around. “Do you have a room already?”

“Yes. An executive suite. Under the name König.” You had looked up this name and had been amused to realize that it meant king. Castiel was being cheeky.

“Ah, yes. They were expecting you. Right on time, Fraulein. Follow me, please.”

You found yourself in front of a large door at the top of the building. Josef rang the doorbell and you shifted uncomfortably next to him, waiting nervously. When the door swung open, your heart moved up into your throat seeing him standing there. He looked… heavenly. As you had thought to yourself before, black never fails. His fitted suit was full on black, a white dress shirt underneath, without a tie. The tattoos you noticed on his arms from the first night you had seen him were hidden underneath this. You detected an aroma of musk.

Castiel ran his eyes over you, a small smile of approval on his face. “Malen'kaya lisa, you do look lovely.” That name again, you thought to yourself. You had been unable to spell it on Google to try to figure out what he was calling you. You would have to ask him again to tell you. He had promised. He stepped back away from the door. “Come.”

This sounded like a double entendre, especially with the playful smirk on his face.

He looked at Josef, nodding his head into the room. “You put that on the bed.”

Josef followed you into the suite, moving past you to go place your bag down. The room was exquisite. There was a full kitchen, living room, and openings to another room, that Josef had disappeared to, which led to what you assumed was the bedroom. It was an open room, the large windows overlooking the city making it seem even larger.

You were still appreciating the room when Josef appeared again. You made to go for your purse but Castiel was already on it, pulling a bill out of his pocket, holding it out to Josef.

“Danke,” Josef responded, taking it from him and going towards the door, closing it behind him.

Castiel turned to you, walking over. He reached out, grasping your purse. You let him take it from you, and he approached the kitchen counter, placing it on top. “Remember, I told you I am treating you,” he commented over his shoulder. He opened the freezer, pulling out a large bottle of vodka. “You like vodka?”

“Anything with alcohol is fine with me,” you responded, approaching the other side of the counter, leaning on it.

“Of course. My little alcoholic,” he teased, causing you to smirk. He placed the bottle on the counter and grabbed two glasses, placing ice in them. He handed you your drink before taking a long drink from his own.

You took a drink, looking him over. “So, why the nice clothes?”

“Dinner,” he responded.

“A late dinner,” you noted.

He furrowed his brow, “You have eaten?” You shook your head and he nodded, “Good.”

“May I ask where we are going?” you asked, feeling slightly off put by the thought of going out to dinner. This was far from Italy but there are many connections here in Germany that had the possibility of spotting you. And spotting you with him was not something you wanted getting out and back to Matteo.

“Not out. It would not be wise to eat in plain sight,” Castiel replied. You agreed that this was a better choice, giving him a slight nod in agreement. You felt relieved. He gestured at the table behind you. “Here.”

“Good choice, Mr. Andronikov. You had me worried for a moment,” you commented, taking another small sip of your drink.

“I am glad I have made you happy,” he responded, his eyes twinkling, before the doorbell went off again. He looked down at his watch and muttered, “Pozdno…” He strode back over to the door, throwing it open.

“Ihrer abendessen, Herr König,” you heard the person at the door announce. A few seconds later, a young man came in pushing a large cart with covered plates on it. You moved towards the table and Castiel did as well, pulling your chair out for you.

“Thanks,” you said curtly, sitting down. He took his jacket off, placing it on the back of his chair as the porter began placing the plates on the table and removing the covers.

The two of you shared dinner, sprinkled with small talk. You were both not going to go into details about anything about your lives, not at this point. You were still not sure about what his intentions of courting you truly were yet. He seemed to be on the same page. He did divulge that he had some of his men in the next room. He really was doling out the cash tonight, buying two of the suites.

“You do not trust me?” you asked, grinning at him.

He smiled, “After what I saw what you are capable of in front of me, I should be cautious, no?”

You sighed loudly at this, “I would rather not talk about that.”

“My apologies,” he responded quickly. He changed the subject, “You have had enough?” He gestured at your plate and you nodded. He stood up and said, “Let me get you another drink.” He took your glass, walking over to the fridge again.

You stood up from the table, making your way over towards one of the large windows. You peered out, looking at the lights. It was quiet from up here, calming.

“Here,” Castiel sounded from behind you. You turned, you hadn’t even heard him walk up. You took the glass from him. He looked over your shoulder out of the window. “It is large city.” You nodded. He turned his attention back to you, “Do you ever get out of cities?”

You shrugged, “Sometimes.”

“It is relaxing,” Castiel said. “I… feel better after being in country. Away from everyone. You should try it more often.” He paused. “I have place outside Moscow. Very calm.”

Smiling coyly, you inquired, “Is this an invitation?”

He watched your lips as you drew your glass to them. “If you would like,” he said in a low voice.

“You haven’t even asked me how this evening has been, and you are already inviting me on another one?” you teased.

Closing the space between the two of you, he peered down at you, his gaze penetrating. He reached out, brushing his fingers along your jaw. “I think you are having good time.” You stared up at him. He cocked an eyebrow, “I am wrong?” You slowly shook your head and he looked satisfied.

“Must I earn a second meeting?” He muttered, his breathing deepening as he studied your face. You knew what was coming. His demeanor had completely changed, you could feel the heat coming off him, hear it in his tone. What had changed so quickly? You shook the thought from your mind because you couldn’t fool yourself. You had come here with the same intention, deep down.

His Adam’s apple bobbed before he leaned down cautiously, his hand moving up gently towards your hair, brushing your ear. You did not move away from him, letting his lips find yours. He tasted even better than you thought he would, his lips tinted with a slight hint of his vodka. His kiss was slow, exploring. You drank in his scent, your body responding to this passionate embrace.

When he pulled away, his eyes were dark, lustful. You imagined yours looked the same. He slowly grabbed the drink from your hand, placing it on the bookcase next to you. When he returned, he resumed his kissing, more aggressive this time. He pulled you against his body as you both fought for dominance over the other.

You began forcing him to walk backwards, your desired goal behind him. The back of his legs hit the sofa, and he obliged, sitting down, pulling you down with him into his lap. He hitched your dress up to your waist, his hands running up your thighs, gripping tightly.

He wiggled his fingers underneath your underwear, toying with your slit. You inhaled sharply against his mouth and you felt him smile. He resumed kissing you, pressing his tongue between your lips, exploring deeply.

His fingers pushed past your now wetting folds, making you shiver as they brushed your clit. You sucked harshly on his bottom lip, causing him to moan quietly. He moved his lips away from your mouth, trailing kisses along your jawline as he entered a digit. You moved your head back, drowning in desire for him.

Castiel kissed down your neck, ending at your collarbone, where he began sucking earnestly. You let out an audible moan, wrapping your legs tighter around his hips.

He moved his mouth back up, nipping at your earlobe. “You are being naughty, girl… meeting me here… letting me touch you like this,” he whispered against your ear, his fingers diving deeper, his thumb gently stroking your clit. This drove you wild, him pointing out the risks of you not only being here, but the fact that you were about to fuck him.

You were clasping at him desperately, pulling his face to yours again, pressing your lips to his hungrily. You wanted him all at once. You felt his cock twitching in his pants, constrained. Leaning away from him slightly, you reached behind your back, unzipping your dress before tearing it over your head. You unclasped your bra just as quickly, tossing it aside.

Castiel leaned forward, kissing between your breasts before moving to swirl his tongue around your nipple, bringing it into his mouth. You let out a small squeak when you felt him bite down softly. It was a sensory overload and you loved it.

“Please,” you breathed, riding his hand fervently, unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it down his arms, exposing his chest to you.

He let out a low growl, removing his hand before standing up, flipping you over onto your back on the couch. He finished removing his shirt, throwing it behind him. He tugged at his belt, working quickly to release himself, watching you touch yourself as you worked to keep your arousal up in the absence of his touch.

When he leaned back down, you sat up slightly to meet him. “Priyekhat,” he demanded, slipping back to Russian in the heat of the moment, picking you up roughly, bringing you back into his lap.

Sinking down onto his length, you gasped quietly, the pleasure building as you slowly rocked. His hands found their way to your hips, pulling you down harder. He began thrusting, you bouncing in his lap. You threw your head back, basking in the feeling of him filling you, his mouth leaving wet kisses all over you.

You held fast onto his shoulders, keeping your balance as he ravaged you, feeling his nails rake down your back. The only sounds in the room being skin slapping skin and the pleasure escaping both of your lips.

Castiel was breathless, as he moved one of his hands down to circle your clit. You let out a wanton noise, biting your bottom lip feeling him stimulate you, driving you closer to the edge. “You are beautiful, moya malen'kaya lisa.” His tone was carnal. Before you could open your mouth to ask, he pulled you close, his lips brushing your ear. “My little fox.” You exhaled at this reveal of his pet name for you. He moved his mouth back to yours, his kisses bruising as his thrusts increased. He was getting close.

You felt your heart pounding as you neared your completion. You sucked in his bottom lip again, moaning against his mouth before you clenched around him. You all but collapsed against him, crying out. Your head was spinning as he continued fucking you through your orgasm. He finished quickly, groaning, gripping you tightly.  


Both panting, trying to catch your breath, you sat there, coming down from your highs. You exhaled deeply against his neck. When your thoughts cleared, all you could think of was what you had gotten yourself into and how much you wanted him to never stop touching you.

…  
Josef: Good evening. Welcome to the Charles Hotel. My name is Josef. I will be helping you tonight.  
Castiel: Late…  
Porter: Your dinner, Mr. King.  
Castiel: Come.  
Castiel: My little fox.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning after, you woke up finding Castiel still next to you, snoring lightly. You gently got out of bed, pulling a shirt out of your bag and throwing it on along with a pair of underwear. You padded out of the bedroom, aiming to make yourself a cup of coffee. It was 5:30 in the morning.  
  
Right after you had started a pot, someone knocked sharply on the door. You tensed, moving to the door quietly. You didn’t know who would be calling this early in the morning. There were a few options: a hotel worker, his men from next door, or a stranger. You peeked out of the eye hole and you recognized the pair of them immediately as the two who had met you outside the door at Horigoshi’s party. They must have been the ones staying next door.  
  
You opened the door slowly, hiding your bottom half behind the door, peering out at them. “Morning?” you said quietly.  
  
“Fox,” the taller man greeted you, his accent as heavy as ever.  
  
“Whatever your name is,” you responded, looking between the two of them.  
  
The shorter one – you felt weird calling him shorter because he was definitely over 6 foot – smiled at this and asked, “Castiel?”  
  
“He’s sleeping,” you simply stated.  
  
He rose his eyebrows and inquired, “Mind if I check?”  
  
You studied the pair of them for a few more seconds before shaking your head no, and opening the door wider. They both immediately took notice of your attire and couldn’t help but smirk slightly. Well, they obviously knew what had happened. They more than likely had heard it but you half naked was confirming it.  
  
Stepping out of their way, you moved back into the kitchen to check on the coffee, letting them step into the suite. They closed the door behind them before moving past the kitchen counter.  
  
You suddenly jumped slightly, turning around quickly when the shorter one burst out into song. His voice would be nice to listen to if he wasn’t trying to sing some ridiculous opera.  
  
Concluding he was trying to wake Castiel up, you crossed your arms annoyed. And of course, you were right because you heard Castiel moan loudly from around the wall in the bedroom. “Zatkni past!” He shouted.  
  
The taller one was chortling to himself as the other one continued his spiel, walking around the wall, his arms outstretched. His grand standing was not being taken well by Castiel.  
  
“Chto delayesh?” you heard Castiel demand, his voice still tired.  
  
The man stopped singing and answered, “Tol'ko ubedivshis’, chto vy ne mertvy. Ona tikho delayet eto.” You heard him pause and then add, “Nesmotrya na to , chto ona ne byla tikhoy proshloy noch'yu . I ni vam.”  
  
This caused the one standing next to you to burst out laughing and throw an amused glance at you. He looked you up and down, still smiling broadly. You, being left out of the joke considering you didn’t speak Russian, gave him an vexed looked before turning to pour yourself and Castiel a cup of coffee.  
  
The man bothering Castiel let out a yelp and you simultaneously heard a soft thud. He started laughing again before strolling back out of the bedroom, a huge, self-satisfied smile plastered on his face.  
  
“On brosayet podushki . Ostorozhno,” he commented to the one next to you.  
  
“Vy zasluzhili eto,” the other one commented back, with just a big of grin on his own face.  
  
You turned around with both cups of coffee, making to go back to the bedroom but before you made it past the counter, Castiel came around the wall, wearing his pants from last night unbuttoned without a shirt.  
  
The opera singing one pointed a finger at you lazily, raising his eyebrows. “Smotri, ty uzhe priruchat’ yeye! Sluzha kak istinnyy starushkoy!” Whatever he said, he sounded amused by it, as did the other one.  
  
Castiel even smirked slightly at what he said, stopping in front of you, taking one of the mugs from your hands. “You have met Dean and Sam.”  
  
“Dean.” “Sam.” They pointed themselves out accordingly.  
  
You looked back at Castiel from them, and stated dryly, “Unfortunately.”  
  
Grinning at this quip, Castiel rose the mug to his lips, taking a drink. Sam put a hand over his heart mockingly, moving his eyes from you over to Dean. “Rude!”  
  
“Vne,” Castiel said in a firm tone, turning his attention back to them. “U nas yest’ zavtrak Prishestviya. My dolzhny ostavit’ na sem’.”  
  
Sam sighed turning around to go out the door. “Fox,” Sam stated, acknowledging you.  
  
“I have a name,” you responded dryly.  
  
He smirked at this, “I like Fox.” You narrowed your eyes at him and he gave you a wink. He turned around walking towards the door, pulling it open.  
  
Dean stopped in front of you on the way towards the door. “Y/N. See? I can be respectful,” Dean declared, before following Sam out of the suite.  
  
When you two were left alone again, Castiel sighed. “My apologies.” He walked past you into the kitchenette. “Breakfast should be here in 15 minutes.”  
  
…  
  
Castiel: Shut the fuck up!  
Castiel: What are you doing?  
Dean: Just making sure you are not dead. She is quiet while doing it. Although, she wasn’t quiet last night. And neither were you.  
Dean: He is throwing pillows. Watch out.  
Sam: You deserved it.  
Dean: Look, you are domesticating her already! Serving like a true old lady!  
Castiel: Out. We have breakfast coming.  
  
<> <> <>  
  
You had made it back to Italy safe and sound. You had only been gone barely two days, but it felt like forever since you had been in the house. You strolled onto the back patio of Lucia’s house, finding Darius waiting there for you. He had a large folder in front of him containing your next assignment probably. You grabbed a glass of water out of the fridge before moving to sit down next to him at the table.  
  
There was something off. You sensed it. He hadn’t greeted you as warmly as he usually did.  
  
“You eat breakfast yet?” Darius asked you, gesturing at his plate. It was half empty, but he still had some sausage risotto along with a half-eaten biscotti. “Donata is on her game this morning.”  
  
“When is she not?” You questioned.  
  
Darius agreed, “Touche.”  
  
On cue, Donata walked out of the doors with a plate. “Buongiorno,” you greeted her.  
  
“Buongiorno, signora,” Donata responded, placing the plate in front of you gently. She pulled a fork out of her apron, placing it next to the plate. “Vuoi qualcos'altro da bere?”  
  
“No, grazie,” you stated, picking up the fork, preparing to dig in. Donata nodded before turning around to leave you to eat.  
  
You shoved a forkful of eggs into your mouth and reached for the file. “How am I going to die next?”  
  
Darius put his hand on the file, stopping you from picking it up. He slid it on the other side of his plate where you couldn’t reach it without putting in a lot of effort. You moved your eyes to him, swallowing slowly. “It’s mine. Don’t worry about it,” he stated, unfeeling. You stared at him for a few more seconds, wondering why he was acting weird before pulling away, going back to get another forkful of eggs. It was silent between the two of you for a minute, you growing increasingly uncomfortable with his behavior.  
  
He finally broke the silence, reclining back in his chair, studying you closely. “What were you doing in Germany?”  
  
A chill started creeping up your spine at this questioning. His tone was not friendly.  _He couldn’t know_ , you tried to tell yourself.  _Play it cool_. You shrugged and said, “I took a trip for a night.” He stared at you from behind his sunglasses stoically. You shrugged and demanded, “What?”  
  
“You spent money on a suite just for yourself? Y/N, I know you like luxury as much as the next person, but that’s spendy. Even for you.”  
  
You stared at him incredulously. How did he know you were in a suite? You instantly felt angry, knowing the answer before you even asked the question. “You were spying on me?” You asked slowly.  
  
Darius did not seem bothered by this in the slightest. “Secret phone calls… secret meetings… at least that’s what I am assuming you are doing when you snuck off at the party before you beat the crap out of Shtjefen.” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. He noticed your expression, “Y/N, you and I do the same job. We observe. And I know you. You are acting weird. Ever since the night at that party… where Andronikov was.” You swallowed sharply and he no doubt took notice of it. He added, “And do you know who my guy saw leaving that hotel in Germany not more than a half hour after you?”  
  
There was nothing you could say, so you didn’t.  
  
His expression was disappointed, angry. He rubbed his mouth roughly, looking away from you, staring off across the city. “Did you have sex with him?” He demanded, looking back at you accusingly.  
  
You gaped at this private question, appalled he even asked you. You stammered, “That…that’s none of your business, Darius.”  
  
He shook his head. “Wow.” He sounded furious.  
  
Rubbing your temples, you tried, “Darius – “  
  
“Are you  _fucking_  stupid?” Darius interrupted, sounding pissed off to high heaven, tearing his sunglasses off to stare at you clearly, sitting up quickly. You opened your mouth to respond to him, but he leaned in dangerously closely to you. “You are risking your life!”  
  
You chuckled nervously, “Don’t be over dramatic!” You looked around to make sure that no one else was around. The last thing you needed was someone to see you two arguing and possibly overhear.  
  
“ _Over dramatic_? He is a murdering psychopath!”  
  
“Like I haven’t killed people?”  
  
“I cannot allow this,” he stated firmly.  
  
You furrowed your brow, glaring at him. “You don’t own me, Darius.” You were starting to lose your patience with his overbearing and invasive behavior.  
  
“No, I don’t. But I sure as hell wish I did to protect you from yourself!”  
  
“I’m fine. You are making a big deal out of nothing!”  
  
Darius threw his hands out in annoyance. “If it’s not a big deal, then you won’t mind me going down and talking to Lucia about it right now?”  
  
“Don’t,” you barked at him.  
  
“Oh, so it is a big deal.” He looked smug. You sighed loudly, letting out an aggravated noise. “You’re acting like a child, Y/N! He’s dangerous!”  
  
“So am I!”  
  
He looked pissed off, spitting, “You know what I mean!” And you did know what he meant. But you also felt that you were not in any danger whatsoever. “He’s probably using you. To get information.”  
  
You threw the fork down onto the table. “Thanks. Thank you for not believing I can tell the difference between that.”  
  
He was unfazed by you becoming angrier and angrier. “Sometimes you can’t,” he pointed out. “Especially when you are in the situation and you’re not the person looking in from the outside.”  
  
It was your turn to scoff loudly. “You are just mad because you have some bullshit history with Dean,” you blurted.  
  
Darius paused for a second, his look murderous. “You on a first name basis now with him too?” His tone was dripping with acid.  
  
You almost socked him catching his implication. How dare he suggest you were sleeping with Dean too? You could almost swear he sounded jealous that you had even come into contact with Dean. You gave a humorless laugh, “No, it would have just been confusing for me to say Andronikov because it could apply to three different people. And considering we are arguing specifically about Castiel, it would have made sense that I would have been referring to him instead of Dean when I said Andronikov. And honestly, I do not like the insinuation you were giving – “  
  
“Whatever,” Darius snapped, cutting you off. You huffed loudly, trying to calm your breathing down. Darius stared off, clenching his jaw, tapping his foot quickly. He turned his attention back you and ordered, “You are gonna stop seeing him.”  
  
“Did you forget the part where we both acknowledged and established that you don’t own me?”  
  
“I don’t own you. But I have a right to protect my own ass! As well as the people I am supposed to be protecting. Now, generally, that’s not you on a day to day basis because up until this point you have been pretty level headed and smart with your actions. But, I have a responsibility to this family. And so do you. You’re not doing your job!”  
  
“I am doing my job perfectly fine,” you snarled, unable to look at him directly in the eyes anymore because you were furious. “Is Matteo dead? Is Lucia dead? Is Angelica dead? How about Dante? Elia?” You stared at Darius expectantly waiting for his response. He had leaned his head into his hands, elbows on the table, staring straight ahead, no doubt trying to rein his fury back in. It was dead silent between the two of you; you staring at him intensely, him avoiding your gaze. You exhaled sharply and asked in a calmer voice, “Do you honestly believe for a second I would be giving him any information? After everything Lucia has done for me? After everything you have done for me?” You paused, leaning back in your chair. “I’m honestly… hurt.”  
  
Darius still didn’t respond to this. You grew irritated with his silence, opening your mouth to speak again but he cut you off, “I do not trust him.”  
  
“You don’t have to,” you responded curtly.  
  
“He is going to hurt you,” Darius retorted coldly.  
  
Staring at his profile, you bit your bottom lip. You cleared your throat and declared, “If that happens, you have every right to say I told you so.”  
  
Darius finally pulled away from the table, turning his head to give you a stern look. “I do not want that opportunity.”  
  
You clicked your tongue, “I won’t let it happen then.” He peered at you for a few more seconds before shaking his head and pushing his chair back. He picked up his plate and his file. He turned to walk by you, but you reached out, grabbing fast to his arm. He stopped, looking down at you. His eyes were sad, worried, the anger had melted from his face. “Please. Don’t,” you pleaded quietly.  
  
He knew what you meant. Sighing, he promised, “I won’t.” He would keep your secret. You let your hand fall from his arm and he walked by you into the house, leaving you alone on the patio with a now cold breakfast.  
  
…  
  
You: Good morning.  
Donata: Good morning, ma'am. Do you want anything else to drink? 


	6. Chapter 6

“I can’t.”  
  
It had been a week since you had spoken to Castiel. On the phone or in person. You had been exchanging texts since your time spent together in Berlin. And especially since your confrontation with Darius. From that, you had concluded that he was going to reluctantly agree to let you pursue your relationship with Castiel. He had kept his word, not mentioning anything about it to Lucia or anyone else in the family. But, he had been colder towards you. If you weren’t mistaken, you could detect disappointment. Really, you knew you were not mistaken. He had been clear that he thought that your decisions as of late were not smart and stupid, to be frank.  
  
You could not help but agree with him on some level. Yes, Castiel was not a current threat to the family. Yes, Castiel was not an enemy. Yes, Castiel had treated you well so far. But, he was still another mob boss. He was still another ruthless killer. You had learned of his behavior more in depth since starting to know him. He was not one to put up with being toyed with, betrayed. You had learned that one of his boyeviks was found in pieces. You had not found out the exact reason. But you suspected insubordination or betrayal. The man had ties between Castiel and another Russian branch. Whoever killed the man had a personal reason considering the effort that went into it.  
  
Castiel had rang you up finally, inquiring about your thoughts on meeting him in Moscow. You had assumed a couple weeks ago that he wanted you there and he had not seemed put off by it. And now, you were having second thoughts because of Darius’ reaction. You knew he was right in a sense. You needed to do your job. And meddling with another crime branch, not to mention a foreign crime branch, was not smart. But, you were so intrigued and attracted. Something positive had to come of this if you were feeling this way.  
  
“Why?” Castiel demanded. He did not seem pleased with your answer to his question about you visiting him. And you did not blame him.  
  
Yet, you were a bit taken aback that he sounded so defensive about this. But, you supposed given everything that had transpired in Berlin, it would be a little confusing as to why you were not going to meet him again. It had been more than a one-night stand, both of you were on the same page about that.   
  
Debating back and forth about how to answer this, you paced around the room. “Darius knows,” you admitted. Better to be honest.  
  
His tone was accusatory, “You told him?”  
  
“No!” you exclaimed. “He… he put a tail on me when I went to Germany.” The other end of the phone was silent. “Castiel?” you asked, wondering if he was still there.  
  
“Where was this tail?”  
  
“I don’t know. He just told me that the person saw both of us leaving the hotel.”  
  
There was another pause and you were about to say something, but he spoke up again. “There will be no tail in Moscow. I will make sure of it. I will make sure my men make sure of it.”  
  
“Going to Moscow is pretty obvious about what I am doing.”  
  
“Lie,” he stated simply.  
  
You couldn’t help but scoff slightly, “And when the person sees me getting on a plane?”  
  
“You go to another place. And then make connecting flight. I will have someone meet you there.”  
  
“The tail might get on the same flight as me with acquired knowledge about where I am going.”  
  
“Change flights at the airport. Go to Vienna first.”  
  
You bit your bottom lip, considering this. And then you thought, how could you be considering this? You shouldn’t have to be sneaking around like some teenager at your age. Meeting someone shouldn’t be this hard. But, you had chosen this type of life. If you had gone into teaching or police work, you could meet anyone you wanted, within means, and visit them at leisure.  
  
“Y/N?”  
  
“This is crazy,” you said out loud, not meaning to.  
  
You heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. “You are having doubts?”  
  
_I do not want to betray Darius_ , you thought to yourself. He was not stupid. If you went on another trip, he was sure to send someone after you. And when you switched flights, you knew it would be clear to him you were trying to lose a tail. He would be disappointed. He was like a brother to you and doing something you know he didn’t approve of was tearing you apart.  
  
But you also were being torn apart by the thought of not continuing to pursue whatever this was with Castiel. Your relationship was unorthodox. But, he hadn’t done anything thus far to suggest he had any malicious intent. It had so far just been a case of mutual attraction. And work shouldn’t interfere with this, just as relationships shouldn’t interfere with work. And that’s what Darius was concerned about. Castiel interfering with your work. With your family. You wouldn’t let it get to that point.  
  
“No,” you replied finally. “I just don’t like sneaking around when I am not getting paid for it.”  
  
Castiel chuckled, “Well, you do get paid, no? Just not in money.”  
  
He was being cheeky, once again. You cracked a smile. “Of course. How silly of me to dismiss that.”  
  
“So, you will come?” He was all back to business and moving things forward.  
  
Biting your bottom lip, you contemplated everything that had ran through your head a few moments before. If you didn’t do this, you would hate yourself.  
  
“Yes.”

 

<> <> <>  
  
“Y/N,” a voice said beside you. You turned your head quickly, seeing someone walk in front of you before plopping themselves in the seat meant for the person you were to meet on the connecting flight. Your heart sunk, recognizing the person immediately.  
  
Dean. He was dressed in a simple blue suit, his hair gelled back. He smiled brightly at you, before picking up your drink and finishing it off. “You might want another one. Make it two. It is on me.”  
  
“You?” you asked, flabbergasted. You resisted the urge to turn around in your seat to scan the other passengers in this part of the plane. That would make it too obvious you were nervous, and you did not want to seem uneasy in front of Dean. Your thoughts were frantic. No, what was Castiel doing? This was no way to be subtle.  
  
Dean cracked a smirk, noticing your uncomfortable demeanor no matter how hard you tried to hide it. He leaned in close, “Yes, unless you want to pay for it. Very progressive.” He was playing coy on purpose.  
  
You leaned in further and hissed, “This is no way to be subtle!”  
  
He brushed you off, “You do not know if there is anyone here. Relax.”  
  
The flight attendant interrupted your conversation. “Noch ein Getränk?”  
  
You guessed at this, “Yes, please. Two each.” You gestured between the two of you.  
  
She nodded, switching to English, “Two for you and two for the gentlemen?”  
  
“Yeah,” you answered, and she smiled, moving away. You immediately turned your attention back towards Dean. “Relax? I know how Darius feels about you. If there is someone here and they see me with you, of all people, do you think he is going to take that well?”  
  
“I hope he does not,” Dean responded honestly. You gaped at him. “I’m sorry. I do not like him. But, I know you do. I will respect that. For now.” You still said nothing. He sighed, “You are fine. The tail, if you had one, would not know where to go from where you left off.” He paused and then added, “Castiel is excited you are coming.”  
  
You felt a stir in your chest, enticed by the fact that he was wanting you. “Are you going to try to ruin our morning again?” you quipped.  
  
[This caused Dean to laugh](http://38.media.tumblr.com/b73b3209941f4f11b1846c94e904a782/tumblr_n9ejdqjuXL1qbup3bo4_250.gif). “I am sure that he would not allow me in his bedroom.”  
  
“You assume that is where it will end?”  
  
He cocked an eyebrow and inquired, “Do you want to end in another room? Another room would be uncomfortable.”  
  
Dean had just as much cheek as Castiel. You shouldn’t be surprised, considering they were related. “You should not assume I am here simply to sleep with him,” you responded as the stewardess arrived with two more drinks for the both of you apiece.  
  
She placed them on both of your trays and said, “The plane is going to take off in 20 minutes. Everything has to be put away by then. You must finish these before then.”  
  
“You trying to get me drunk?” Dean asked, winking at her. She blushed profusely, before stammering. “Don’t worry. We can handle it. Thank you.”  
  
“You’re welcome,” she stated before hurrying off.  
  
You looked over at him, “Nice.” He smiled broadly at you, before taking one of the drinks in one fell swoop. “Oh my god.”  
  
“You heard the lady,” he stated, placing the empty glass back on the table.  
  
“You could be a little more tactful.”  
  
“Not my style. You not game, Y/N?” Narrowing your eyes at him, you picked up your glass before knocking it back as well. He smirked broadly, “I should not have doubted you.”  
  
Nodding, you said, “No, you should not have.” Your fingers traced themselves around the rim of the empty glass. You needed to know. “So, what am I doing in Moscow?” He smirked slightly, and you sighed, “Besides what you think I am going to be doing.”  
  
“Tour? Explore culture? I am not sure what he has planned. He is very secretive and controlling,” Dean responded. He picked up the second glass on his tray, holding it out to you. “I am sure whatever it is, it will involve good food and alcohol.”  
  
You ran your eyes over him before picking up the second glass as well. “Well, that’s all a good vacation needs right?”  
  
“Da, he will treat you well,” he agreed, smiling broadly, tapping your glass. “Privetstviya.”  
  
…  
  
Stewardess: Another drink?

  
Dean: Cheers. 


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as you reached Castiel’s house, you had to restrain yourself from letting your mouth fall open. You knew he was rich, but you didn’t think it was as close as Lucia. But, it seemed to be. He lived in a mansion and it was gorgeous. Dean got out, moving around the car quickly. He opened the door to let you out of the car, waving you off as you made your way for your bags.  
  
“Ivan will get it,” he assured you, gesturing lazily at the man who was rushing down the stairs towards the car.  
  
“Gospodin Andronikov,” Ivan greeted. “Miss.” He nodded at you, moving by quickly. You nodded back at him in acknowledgment.  
  
Dean moved you quickly up the stairs and into the house. “They are probably out on the patio,” he informed you, moving you through the house. You were quickly trying to take it in. It was large. Already a foyer, two dens, a dining room, and you were sure you spotted the kitchen doors through the dining room. There was an upstairs as well.  
  
Your eyes landed on Castiel through two French doors, sitting on the patio. He was across from another woman and you felt slightly confused, seeing this. Perhaps you were not being honest with yourself. That confusion was definitely a slight pang of possessiveness. And you felt ashamed, trying to shake the feeling. He was not yours. At least not completely.  
  
Dean opened the patio door, pulling you through. “Tselyy i nevredimyy,” he announced, interrupting their conversation.  
  
Castiel and the woman looked up at you. Castiel’s face broke into a smile and he stood up from the table immediately. The woman on the other hand, you noted, looked sour, studying you over as if you were trash. You forced yourself to look away from her as Castiel approached you, forcing a smile.  
  
“Your flight was good?” he asked, before kissing both of your cheeks.  
  
“Yes,” you responded, all your attention on him now. His cologne was the same, enticing you.  
  
“Good,” he smiled, before turning his gaze at Dean. “Byl li khvost?”  
  
“Ne to, chto ya videl.”  
  
“Ya nadeyus’, u vas yest’ luchshe , chem glaza Levi.” You detected a hint of annoyance in Castiel’s tone.  
  
“Ya nadeyus’ na eto , uchityvaya, chto ya do sikh por moi.”  
  
Castiel smirked broadly, “Nakhal'nyy ublyudok.”  
  
Returning the smirk, Dean responded, “Vy znayete, ya ne risknul by zavinchivaniya vam snova i poteryat’ svoi glaza.”  
  
Castiel patted his cheek, still smiling. “I know. You are one of the few I can trust.” He had switched to English and you guessed he meant for you to catch a gist of what he was saying. And all you could think was that he was inquiring about your safety and the trip. Turning back to you, he gestured towards the woman, “Y/N, my sister, Viktoriya.”  
  
You felt a bit of relief at hearing she was his sister. “Hello,” you said reaching your hand out to shake hers. She looked down at your hand before taking it reluctantly. You filed that away for later; she definitely had some disdain about you.  
  
“You are staying long?” she asked, trying to sound innocent but you detected some malice in her tone.  
  
Castiel’s expression darkened. “Perestan'te byt’ grubym, Viktoriya,” he spat at her.  
  
Viktoriya shot him a look back. She rolled her eyes, standing up from the table, grabbing her clutch. “Khorosho. Sozhaleyu,” Viktoriya responded, sounding surly.  
  
Watching her closely, Castiel stated, “Ya budu peredavat’ svoi den'gi utrom.”  
  
“Blagodaryu.” She flicked her gaze back to you and forced a smile. “Nice to meet you.” You nodded in recognition. She turned on her heel, putting her sunglasses back on. She headed back down the stairs, towards the front door to leave.  
  
You were not going to say anything about her behavior but Castiel felt he needed to. “She is stressed.”  
  
“Aren’t we all?” you asked, trying to act as if her behavior did not bother you.  
  
He grinned, “Yes.” He wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you towards the doors back into the house. “I have big evening planned. Come.”  
  
…  
  
Dean: Safe and sound.  
  
Castiel: Was there a tail?  
Dean: Not that I could see.  
Castiel: I trust you have better eyes than Levi.  
Dean: I would hope so, considering I still have mine.  
Castiel: Cheeky bastard.  
Dean: You know I wouldn’t screw you over and risk losing my eyes.  
  
Castiel: Stop being rude, Viktoriya.  
Viktoriya: Fine. Sorry.  
Castiel: I’ll transfer your money in the morning.  
Viktoriya: Thank you.  
  
<> <> <>  
  
He had bought you an extremely confining mermaid dress that hugged your curves. It was dark blue, strapless, and more than floor length. You felt somewhat uncomfortable in it given the limited amount of range of motion. It made you uneasy knowing you couldn’t move about freely. Yet, you did like how you looked. And you didn’t want to insult him by not wearing it. You had a challenging time getting your shoes on though. You walked out of the bedroom and headed towards the stairs.  
  
Moving through the foyer, you heard voices. You approached the first den, peering inside. Castiel was speaking quietly with Sam. Sam noticed you standing there immediately. You don’t know how he wouldn’t have, considering your heels clicking on the floor.  
  
“Fox,” Sam greeted you over Castiel’s shoulder and you forced a smile, still annoyed he refused to call you by your actual name. But his smile was genuine, looking pleased to see you.  
  
Castiel stopped speaking immediately and turned around. He beamed seeing you, his eyes running over you quickly. “You look beautiful. How you like it?”  
  
“It is very tight.” You couldn’t lie.  
  
He smirked at this, as did Sam, as he walked over towards you. “It is hugging you in all the right places.”  
  
“Nice,” you replied, sarcasm lacing your tone. But you couldn’t help a small smile pulling at your lips.  
  
“You will enjoy the opera,” Sam assured you from behind Castiel. You moved your attention to him as he closed the space between the pair of you and him. “You won’t understand a word, but you will like.” He snickered, pulling flask out of his pocket, taking a swig. He offered it towards you and you shrugged, putting out your hand. You took a quick drink before handing it back to him.  
  
“Rum,” you acknowledged, surprised.  
  
“What? You expect vodka? That is rude,” Sam teased, putting the cap back on the flask before placing it back in his jacket. He was charming, you had to admit.  
  
You were pulled from your thoughts as Castiel took your arm in his own. “I have a driver. I suspect we will have some drinks at the restaurant before the ballet.” He nodded at Sam. “Zavershit’ rabotu. Ya ne khochu nikakikh vintov okna.”  
  
“Da, nachal'nik. Ya privedu vas obratno suvenir,” Sam answered. “Vozmozhno, palets?” Castiel let out a sharp laugh at this and Sam smiled. His eyes landed on you again and he ordered, “You have a good night, Fox.”  
  
“I plan to,” you replied, before moving towards the door.  
  
…  
  
Castiel: Finish the job. I do not want any screw ups.  
Sam: Yes, boss. I’ll bring you back a souvenir. Perhaps a finger?  
  
<> <> <>  
  
Castiel had been correct about the drinks. And it only amplified your need for him. And that seemed to be mutual. He pulled you out of the back of the car, steadying you, before closing the door noisily. He kissed roughly up your neck, his hand traveling over your body. “Shouldn’t we go inside?” you asked breathlessly, grasping onto him tightly. You two had been attacking each other in the backseat of the car the entire car ride home and you wanted some privacy, feeling exposed after knowing the driver could see the two of you in the rear view mirror.  
  
“Da,” he murmured against your neck before drawing himself away. He grabbed you around the waist, dragging you up the stairs. You both were giggling as you stumbled up the rest of the stairs, before reaching the door. He pushed the door open and you two tumbled inside.  
  
Ivan was there at the door waiting, looking concerned. “Gospodin Andronikov, ty v poryadke?”  
  
Castiel shot him an irritated look and ordered, “Da, Ivan . Otstan’ otsyuda.” Even in your drunk state, you were still abashed that Castiel was already working on his belt in front of his doorman.  
  
Ivan nodded immediately, noticing as well. He scurried away, leaving the two of you.  
  
Before you knew it, Castiel’s lips were on yours again as he guided you into the den that you had seen him and Sam in earlier. You quickly forgot the embarrassment with Ivan. He fumbled at your back, pulling down on your zipper. He got it down, before trying to force your dress down erratically off of you.  
  
You laughed, pulling away from him slightly. “It’s a little too tight for that kind of force.”  
  
“Be quick about it,” he growled, on you again, pushing you up against a table you hadn’t realized was there until you pressed up against it. His alpha arrogance was flaming the fire in the pit of your stomach. You wanted to be filled by him and it was torture that he was not inside of you yet. You maneuvered yourself, trying to shimmy yourself out of it, while simultaneously trying to continue kiss him.  
  
The dress finally fell from your hips and you stepped out of it quickly. He was on you instantly, tugging at your bra, unhooking it with ease. He tossed it aside and went to finish pulling himself out of the constraints of his pants. He went to touch himself, but you stayed his hand.  
  
A wicked grin found its way onto your face and you sunk to your knees. His eyes darkened with lust, watching you. You pulled his bottoms, underwear and all, down completely. He kicked them off quickly, as well as his shoes before placing himself in front of you again.  
  
You took his cock in your hand, beginning to stroke gently. Your wrist twisted, moving up and down his dick. You smiled up at him seeing him watch you intently. Slowly, you moved your mouth, placing kisses on his head. He sighed lightly, running his hand along your cheek. You moved down, tracing his length with soft kisses, teasing. When you reached the base, you ran your tongue around his balls. You smiled against him hearing him let out a small moan.  
  
Dragging your tongue up his cock slowly, you reached the head where you sucked earnestly at the tip before pulling away. He let out a small gasp, playing with your hair. You could tell he wanted to desperately take control, but you weren’t ready yet.  
  
Your eyes met his as your lips wrapped around the head of his dick, teasing. You moved down his length, keeping eye contact with him. He groaned deeply as you neared his base before you moved back up. You swirled your tongue around his shaft, eliciting a sigh from him. His cock was completely erect at this point, coated in your saliva.  
  
Increasing the pressure, you swallowed him deeper. You ran your fingers along his balls, tugging gently. You pressed your tongue flat against the underside of his dick, sucking harder, your cheeks hallowing. His hands found their way to the sides of your face. They gripped tightly, taking over your rhythm for you.  
  
“Da, pryamo tam,” he grunted, his hands still clasping the sides of your face as he fucked your mouth. He had a habit of slipping back into Russian when he was aroused, and it increased your want for him every time. You let him set the motion, moving your eyes back up to make contact again. He looked lost in his pleasure. Eventually he focused back down, groaning when he saw you watching him.  
  
He pulled you away with an audible pop. He ran his thumb along your swollen lips, staring down at you, his eyes flashing.  
  
Yanking you up from the floor, he brought your lips back to his, kissing deeply. You pulled him closer, your tongue pushing past his lips to explore his mouth. He groaned against you, his hands tugging at your panties. He pulled them down and you stepped out of them as well. You were completely nude in front of him.  
  
“You missed me?” he questioned, his fingers finding their way between your thighs, past your labia, playing with your cunt. You nodded fervently, making to kiss him again. But he stayed out of your reach. “You want me?” You nodded, and he growled, “Say it.”  
  
“I want you inside me,” you rasped, moving yourself against his hand for more friction, wanton.  
  
Castiel removed his hand before turning you around forcefully. You grunted as he tossed you against the table. Thankfully you were inebriated to the point that the impact didn’t register much. He ran his hands up and down your sides, ending at your hips. He ran his dick up the length of your ass, rutting slightly against you.  
  
“You do not have to be quiet. They are used to it,” he mentioned in a low voice behind you.  
  
This should have bothered you, but it didn’t. You looked over your shoulder at him, and he smiled, catching your eyes. He kicked your legs a part, and you bit your bottom lip, anticipating him, looking forward again.  
  
You felt him at your entrance before he pressed in. His pace was hard and steady. You were being pressed into the table, being used. And you were relishing in it. It had been a long time since you had let someone take control like you let him and he was satisfying you in every way possible.  
  
His hand wove into your hair before he pulled back, using this leverage to deepen his thrusts. You cried out at this, which only seemed to encourage him further.  
  
“Prikhodi za mnoy.”  
  
You don’t know what he said but his tone was demanding. You bit your lip, tossing another look back at him. His grip tightened catching your eyes and his hips snapped harder, pressing you tighter against the table. Your heat was increasing, and you laid back down on the table, letting him keep up his brutal pace. Your eyes almost rolled back in your head as your orgasm came in waves, one after the other. You cried out, collapsing completely against the table, letting the pleasure ripple through you.  
  
“Yebat’, ty prekrasna!” You heard him gasp breathlessly before he gripped you tightly, emptying himself inside you.  
  
You both sat there panting, trying to catch your breath. He absentmindedly ran his hands along your thighs, tracing your skin gently, as you laid sprawled out on his table.  
  
Eventually he pulled away, still trying to breath to calm himself down. He swallowed sharply and tugged gently on your hip. “Let’s go upstairs. They have some clean up to do.” You almost laughed at his nonchalant response to his staff cleaning up after you two, but you were exhausted. Partially from the alcohol and partially from the orgasm you were still trying to recover from.  
  
“If you insist, Mister Andronikov,” you exhaled, pushing yourself up off the table, letting him tug you to him.  
  
…  
  
Ivan: Mister Andronikov, are you alright?  
Castiel: Yes, Ivan. Get the fuck out of here.  
  
Castiel: Yes, right there.  
Castiel: Come for me.  
Castiel: Fuck, you are beautiful!


	8. Chapter 8

“Come è successo?” Lucia demanded, circling around you to stand in front of you. She was livid.  
  
And she had a right to be. You had been on an assignment in France and completely messed everything up. You had gone with four other men of Matteo’s: Antonio, Niccolo, Simone, and Andrea. They were supposed to pick up a payment from the Corsican mafia. A simple in and out assignment. But, you had forgotten to turn off your cell phone and it beeped when you received a text message. You had fumbled around, trying to turn it off. They could not hear you from where you were at, but it was distracting. You had only looked away for a few moments. It was a rookie mistake.  
  
When you looked back up, you saw a van had appeared out of nowhere and your men were being surrounded by men with guns. They had taken the money and shot Niccolo in the leg. You were lucky it had only been in his leg.  
  
You don’t know how you could have been so stupid to not have turned off your ringer, let alone tried messing with it while you were supposed to be watching their backs. The text message had been from Castiel, which made you feel even worse.  
  
The money was gone, and Lucia was furious. It was not a substantial sum but the fact that you had slipped up had her rattled. You had never fucked up before.  
  
“Non ho visto loro,” you replied, calmly, avoiding eye contact with her.  
  
“COME?”  
  
“Non lo so,” you stated quickly. You were not about to admit that you had been messing with your phone while on the job. It was too embarrassing, and she was already furious enough. It would only lead to more questions about who was texting you. The people who should have your number were ones that would have known you were on a mission and to not bother you.

 

“I can’t fucking believe this,” Lucia went on, sounding infuriated. She turned on her heel, strolling over to the small table in the corner where she kept her alcohol. She tore at a bottle, tugging the lid off and poured herself a glass shakily. She took a long gulp, taking the alcohol straight. It was silent in the room as she stared at the corner of the wall, fuming.  
  
When she turned around again, her expression was a mix of anger and sadness. “I trust you, Y/N.”  
  
“I know.” Your voice was barely above a whisper.  
  
“Niccolo could have been killed.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“You ‘know’.” Her tone was scornful, and you didn’t speak again. She sighed loudly, “I can’t look at you right now, Y/N. Please. Leave.”  
  
You nodded turning on your heel quickly, making for the door. Tears pricked at your eyes as you opened the door, exiting the room, closing the door behind you.  
  
…  
  
Lucia: How did this happen?  
You: I didn’t see them.  
Lucia: HOW?  
You: I don’t know.  
  
<> <> <>  
  
“How did it happen?” Darius asked you, sitting on the edge of your bed.  
  
You were laying on the bed, staring at the wall. Lucia had not come to speak to you yet. It had been a few hours. You did not expect her to come until the morning or maybe later. You pushed the thought out of her never forgiving you out of your head.  
  
“I looked away,” you replied quietly. You didn’t have the heart to tell Darius either of the exact reason you had looked away.  
  
He was quiet for a few moments. You felt him get off of the bed and he appeared in front of you, getting in your line of vision. “Niccolo isn’t dead.”  
  
“He could have been,” you scoffed, trying to look away from Darius. But he got back into your line of vision defiantly.  
  
“But he’s not. You fucked up. That’s true. But, he’s not dead. It could have been worse.”  
  
“Exactly.”  
  
He sighed loudly, sounding exasperated. “Yes, I know ‘exactly’.” He gave you a stern look and advised, “Just be thankful.” You didn’t say anything. He touched your face gently and you looked at him, tears again threatening to fall. “تو بخشیده شدی.” You furrowed your brow at him and the corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk. “You are forgiven, love.”  
  
“Not by Lucia,” you muttered.  
  
“She will forgive you.” He paused and then added, “And I’ve forgiven you. And I’m the most important person, right?” You had to snort at this and he smiled broadly. “She will come talk to you in the morning… or after she’s had another drink or so.”  
  
“I think I’ll take the morning,” you informed him.  
  
This lightened up Darius’ mood. He let out a small laugh before leaning in, giving you a kiss on your forehead. “Get some sleep. Don’t stress. We will figure this out.”  
  
_We_. The word resonated. You looked up at him, your heart swelling. Here you were lying to him and here he was, still devoted to being your friend. Granted, he didn’t know you were omitting information.  
  
“Thank you,” you said in a small voice.  
  
Darius stood up, “Always looking to please.” He pointed at you and stated, “I’m serious. Get some sleep.”  
  
“I will.”  
  
After he left the room, you reached over and turned off the bedside lamp. You got yourself comfortable, burrowing into your bed before your phone lit up. Reaching out, you picked it up, bringing it to you.  
  
_You are alright?_  
  
Sighing, you closed the text, not responding to Castiel. You hadn’t responded to his earlier text earlier about meeting him back here at home in Italy. You turned the ringer off on your phone and rolled over to fall asleep.  
  
<> <> <>  
  
The ocean waves were calming you as you sat on one of the decks in the house. You always came to this particular deck because it was more secluded than the other ones. Lucia had come to make amends with you in the morning, like Darius insisted she would. You do not know how but Niccolo had forgiven you. He had written it off that no matter how good of a marksman you were, you could not take on an entire van full of people, especially since they were all in close proximity with your own people.  _This was not the movies_ , he had told you when you had visited him at his home. You still felt guilty, seeing him lying there bandaged up. Yet, you had not pressed the matter.  
  
It had been four days since you had responded to Castiel. He was persistent. It ached you to not respond to him and the more he tried to get through to you, the weaker you got. And here he was, calling you again.  
  
This was the sixth time he had called you since you had been ignoring him. Every time he called, you relived feeling his lips on your skin, his hands tracing you. He did not deserve to be brushed aside. Against the better judgment in your mind, you gave into your heart. “Hello?”  
  
He jumped in from the start. “Why are you not talking to me?” His tone was accusative. He was not holding back on his anger at being ignored.  
  
“I need to focus on my job.” You began slowly pacing, as you usually did when speaking on the phone. You hated talking on the phone.  
  
“And?” He spat.  
  
Cringing at his tone, you exhaled lowly. You were not about to mention exactly why you had messed up. You decided to be diplomatic. “It is hard to balance work life and personal life.”  
  
There were a few moments of silence before he stated, “I want to see you.” He was not going to be persuaded away from you it seemed.  
  
“Castiel, I cannot – “  
  
“It is not request.”  
  
You were slightly taken aback by his authoritarian tone. “If you want to see me, maybe try being a little nicer.”  
  
“I am nice, Y/N. But, I am not going to put up with you refusing me because you feel you will do your job better.”  
  
“I am not refusing you, Castiel – “  
  
“You are.”  
  
Gritting your teeth, you bit back rude responses. You were turned off by his behavior, but you were also aware that from his end, you may seem to be unreasonable. It was not his fault that he had not known that you were working when he texted you. “Please just let me be here for a while. I can’t keep running off. And I need to make it up to Lucia.”  
  
You could hear him exhaling loudly. “A week.”  
  
Scoffing, you responded, “That is hardly enough.” He was certainly being difficult.  
  
“Fine. Two weeks.” His tone was curt. He sounded annoyed as if you were asking for the moon and stars.  
  
“Thank you.” You felt odd thanking him for allowing you time to rest and be on the low.  
  
“I will get your money back.”  
  
You stopped pacing hearing this. “Wait, what?” you inquired. He could not possibly know…  
  
“Your money. That was stolen.” He knew. Jesus Christ.  
  
“How…?”  
  
“Chuck is good.”  
  
This shouldn’t have surprised you. You gave a little laugh at this. He was focused on you. For the first time since meeting him, you felt somewhat vulnerable, knowing that someone that was sharing a private relationship with you was so focused on watching your every move. It made you uncomfortable.  
  
“You do not have to do that.”  
  
“If it will smooth things over quicker with Lucia, then yes. I must. I do not want to prolong the absence.” His tone was unwavering. He would not take no for an answer. Part of you was uneasy about accepting his money. Yet, the other half was aroused, hearing him wanting to be near you.  
  
“And when she asks where I got the money?” you questioned.  
  
“Lie.”  
  
He said that a lot. It made you uneasy.  
  
“I cannot lie to her.”  
  
“Tell her you took the money back from the Corsicans.”  
  
“And when she looks into it and realizes that that didn’t happen?”  
  
“It will have happened,” he replied in a cold voice.  
  
You swallowed sharply, not knowing what to say. He was insinuating to you he was okay with sending his own men to clean up the mess you had made. Willing to put his own men in danger to reconcile a problem in order for you to come back to him sooner. How could you refuse him?  
  
“How can I be sure of that?”  
  
“Trust me.”  
  
How could you refuse him? 


	9. Chapter 9

Castiel had been good on his word. He had Sam meet you in Rome in a small shop to deliver the money. You had given it to Lucia, smoothing things over further between the two of you. You felt troubled building your relationship again off of a lie but the alternative of not returning her money to her and having her still upset with you was not what you wanted.  
  
A month had passed. You had gone on a couple of assignments, not failing her again. You had met Castiel in Moscow again a week ago. You had both been ravenous to feel the other’s touch, spending much of the time you had together in between sheets.  
  
Upon leaving, you had agreed to meet him in France considering you were going to be there already with Lucia, Eula, and Angelica for a weekend. They went on shopping sprees together in the spring and fall to various places, picking up on seasonal clothing. You asked Lucia if she would be comfortable if you went out to a film on your own one of the nights.  
  
“Sei davvero mi chiede se ho intenzione di essere in grado di proteggere me stesso?”  
  
Snorting, you responded, “Ovviamente no. Sarebbe stupido da parte mia.”  
  
Lucia smiled at this and patted your arm, “Si, sto bene. Vai godere la vostra cultura cinematografica.”  
  
You had looked up the plot of one of the film’s in the theater in case she asked you what it was about and how it was. You were really meeting Castiel at Champ de Mars at the end near the base of the Eiffel Tower. He figured it was crowded enough that you would be fine being in public without issue. You had agreed, reluctantly.  
  
Approaching him, you put your cell phone into your pocket. “Casual dress,” Castiel commented as you neared, noticing your attire. You had opted for black jeans and a loose white top. He was holding a large white bag that smelled of warm food.  
  
“Do you think I should have left the hotel wearing a nice dress to go see a movie by myself?”  
  
Castiel grinned broadly at this, “Fair point.” He leaned down, pulling you to him for a deep kiss.  
  
You pulled away slightly. “Where are your men?” you questioned, your lips brushing his.  
  
“Around,” he responded simply, moving back, looping his free arm around your waist. “There is hidden bench over this way.” He brought you over to a more secluded area, sitting down next to you. He pulled out a bottle of sparkling water and noted, “No cups. We will share from the bottle.”  
  
“I’m sure I’ll survive,” you joked, taking the food he held out to you.  
  
Throughout dinner, the pair of you discussed minute details of life. You had become more comfortable talking to him, divulging intimate details of your life. You had told him where you were originally from. It had been uncomfortable for you, but he had been overtly pleased that you had told him. Now, it was easier for you to talk about yourself slowly, giving him pieces.  
  
A couple of hours passed and you knew you had to make your way back to the hotel to not arouse suspicion. You kissed him for a long time before moving to leave.  
  
Castiel stopped you, holding onto your arm tightly. You looked back at him and he moved closer to you again, staring down his nose at you. “I am happy you are more comfortable seeing me often.”  
  
You shrugged, “Me too.” You couldn’t help a small questionable tone coming off the end of that.  _What was he getting at?_  
  
He studied you intensely for a few moments, before stating quietly, “You must stay longer in Moscow with me next time.”  
  
Sighing, you started, “Castiel – “  
  
“I don’t want to hear it,” he responded cutting you off and you cocked your head to the side, giving him an incredulous look. “I know what you want to say. I don’t want to hear it again.”  _Why was he trying to ruin the time you two just had by acting like this?_  “Here and there is not enough for me. Is it for you?”  
  
You were taken aback by his sudden mood change. You stammered, “I am making it work.”  
  
“But you  _would_  like more?” His gaze was piercing, watching you intently for your reaction.  
  
Swallowing sharply, you tried to find words. Of course, you wanted to spend more time with him. But you also had a job to do. You belonged to another family and you were risking enough as it was already. “Yes, Castiel. I would like to see you more. But – “  
  
“No but.”  
  
“There is a but,” you asserted firmly. He clenched his jaw hearing you say this. “We need to be satisfied with this. There is balance.” Castiel did not say anything, his eyes still staring you down. His grip had not loosened. When he did not respond a few more moments later, you reached up, touching his hand on your arm and demanded, “Castiel?”  
  
This seemed to shake him from his state. Wetting his lips, he let your arm go. “Yes, balance… That is what is important.” He sounded far off, his tone indifferent. He leaned down, giving you a quick kiss on your forehead. He wasn’t looking at you anymore; his whole demeanor had changed completely. He pulled away and stated, his voice empty of emotion, “One of my men will follow you back to your hotel. I will call you, moya malen'kaya lisa.”  
  
He moved past you and you stood there in shock for a moment before turning around quickly. “Castiel?” you demanded again but he didn’t turn around. He turned on the walkway and you lost sight of him behind the bushes.  
  
“What the fuck?” you said out loud to yourself staring after where he had gone.  
  
…  
  
Lucia: Are you really asking me if I am going to be able to protect myself?  
You: Of course not. That would be stupid of me.  
Lucia: Yes, I am fine. Go enjoy your film culture.  
  
<> <> <>  
  
Castiel had not explained his behavior to you even though you had asked him outright. He brushed it off as if it was not a big deal. This made you angry. He had left you in the middle of the square without any idea of what was wrong. You wanted answers, but he was not going to give them to you.  
  
Your annoyance with him wavered slightly when a large mixed bouquet had arrived at the house as a delivery for you a couple days later. Thankfully, you were the only one home besides the staff when it arrived, so you did not have to deal with making up an excuse to anyone on the spot. By the time that anyone asked you about them after spotting them in your room, you had just told them you had seen them in the market and bought them for yourself.  
  
Unfortunately, Darius had not been that easy to persuade to leave the question alone though. He outright asked you if they were from Castiel and you told him to mind his own business, which was answer enough for him. You had scolded Castiel on the phone about risking that and he had apologized, explaining he had only wanted to mend things with you. This was about as close to an apology you were going to get for Paris.  
  
Darius did not seem pleased that you were still seeing Castiel, even thought you had not openly admitted it to him. His remedy was deciding you needed to spend time together and had arranged for you two to go to Serbia and see Aleksandar, one of your business partners. Aleksandar had a good relationship with Matteo and generally seemed to enjoy yours and Darius’ company. You agreed with Darius that you needed some time with just him, packing up your things immediately. It had been awhile since you two had spent some quality time together and lost yourselves in a bottle… or two. And this might calm him down a little bit.  
  
And that is how you found yourself stumbling out of a bar in downtown Belgrade. You turned left to go towards the direction of one of your favorite places in Belgrade for a late-night snack. And it was a late night, almost one in the morning. There were other drunk patrons on the street coming from other bars, passing you. You had told Darius where you were going before leaving him and Aleksandar in the bar.  
  
Knowing a short cut through an alley to the shop, you turned into it. You became aware of footsteps behind you and you slowed your pace before coming to a stop, turning around. There was no one there. You scanned the alleyway slowly before turning back around. Your hand fell to your gun at your hip, concealed as you resumed your pace.  
  
The rest of the way there, you were not bothered and did not have a feeling of someone following you. Relaxing a little bit, you entered the shop. On the way back from ordering your baklava, you decided to take the alleyway again, despite the anxious feeling you had about hearing someone behind you before. You chewed on the sweet, listening intently.  
  
Your attention paid off, hearing someone suddenly moving quickly behind you.  
  
Dropping the sweet, you whipped around, seeing someone coming at you at a rapid pace. They must have been waiting for you in the alley, knowing you were going to come back. It was too late for you to move, yet you tried. It wasn’t far enough. You saw a knife in the person’s raised hand before it sank into your thigh. Time seemed to slow, your body going into shock. You fell to the ground, groaning, the knife ripping out of your leg in the process as the person yanked it out. You grasped at your leg, feeling the blood streaming past your fingers.  
  
Knowing you had to try to ignore it if you wanted a chance of surviving, you fumbled for your gun at your hip, tearing it from your holster. You quickly raised the gun in defense, but the person was on you, anticipating this. They kicked your gun out of your hand before bringing their fist down onto your face. Your head made impact with the cement behind you, causing your vision to go blurry.  
  
This pain was amplified as the wind was knocked out of your body as the person kicked you in your side, causing you to cry out in pain. Your world was spinning as you were jerked up by the collar of your shirt.  
  
“I told you I would kill you!” you heard the person snarl.  
  
You knew that voice.  _Shtjefen_.  
  
A strangled laugh escaped your mouth, seeing two of him, still disoriented.  
  
“How unexpected,” you choked out. “You’ve actually manned up.”  
  
A chuckle escaped Shtjefen’s lips. “Still have attitude even when you are going to be killed. Charming. In other life, I might have liked you, Y/N.”  
  
“I doubt the feeling would have been mutual,” you retorted.  
  
You grunted as he punched you again before yanking you back up. Blood was pouring out of your nose now. “Keep running your mouth. It will only make it better to kill you,” he growled at you. His grip tightened, leaning in closer, his breath hot on your face. “By now, Tehrani is lying on the ground bleeding out. He will die quick. You though? No. I wanted you to myself. To kill you slowly with my own hands.”  
  
Your thoughts were reeling, worrying about Darius. Shtjefen smirked down at you. “If you wondering how I found you, one of Aleksandar’s men owed me favor. A big one.” You didn’t say anything to this. You clenched your jaw when he thrust the barrel of his pistol against your temple, taking the safety off. He glared down at you, studying you. You were not about to look away from him, not giving him the satisfaction of scaring you. You could hear your heart pounding in your ears, staring into his eyes.  
  
He smirked finally, pulling the gun away. You heard him throw the safety back on before putting it back in his holster. “You know, Y/N, when you kill my father, all I wanted to do was find you and shoot you.” His eyes flickered down to your thigh and he chortled a little. A sick grin spread across his face before you felt agonizing pain. You screamed as his finger dug into your wound. He let out a sick laugh, basking in your agony. How long would it be until the authorities were alerted? You were certainly not being quiet. “But then I felt that I wanted you to suffer.” His finger dug deeper, causing you to scream again, tears pricking your eyes. You gritted your teeth, trying to fight your way past the blinding pain.  
  
It felt like an eternity before he removed his finger and you gasped out. “I do not have much time left before police come, so our game must end.”  
  
Shtjefen reached back, pulling out a large knife. You decided to make your move when his grip loosened. You reached up, grabbing his collar before headbutting him. He lost his balance, falling back onto your legs, pinning you down while simultaneously skyrocketing the pain you felt in your thigh. You let out a yelp. That had not been a part of your plan, but you would have to improvise. You scrambled to grab his wrist and yank his knife out of his hand.  
  
“Kurvë!” Shtjefen shouted infuriated, shoving you away before back-handing you onto your back again.  
  
He raised the knife, readying to plunge it into your chest. You made to try to wiggle away from him, but you were stilled by the sound of a gunshot and seemingly in unison, having blood splatter your face.  
  
Shtjefen seemed in shock, as were you. You saw the bullet hole in his chest at almost the same moment he did. He reached up, touching it slowly, looking to be in disbelief. His eyes met yours again and you stared back at him, at loss for words for once.  
  
The knife fell from his other hand, missing your face before he collapsed on top of you. You grunted loudly. You made to shove him off of you, but he was pulled off of you and you inhaled shakily.  
  
Darius came into your line of sight and relief flooded through you that it was him and not someone else. You could not help yourself as the tears stared to fall, giving into the pain and turmoil you were feeling. “You are alright,” you gasped out, reaching up to grab his hand. You could see that his face was bloody, and his shirt was covered in blood. He seemed to be bleeding from his side.   
  
“Yes, yes,” he said rushed. “Tell me, where are you all hurt?”  
  
“My leg,” you groaned out.  
  
His eyes immediately went to your stab wound. He yanked his shirt off and you saw that there was a cut in his side that he seemed unconcerned about. It did not look deep, but it was bleeding pretty good. He tore the shirt, making a tourniquet. Another man rushed up behind him and you recognized him as one of Aleksandar’s men.  
  
“Darius!” you gasped, trying to warn him.  
  
Darius looked up seeing the man approach and then snapped at the guy, “We need to get her to the doctor! You’re going to need to help me carry her. And we need to do it quick. The police will be showing up.”  
  
“Alright,” the man stated. “Filip has truck. I will call him.” Darius did not seem worried about this guy and you realized this man was also injured. Shtjefen’s men must have acted alone and Aleksandar’s men had been caught off guard as much as you and Darius.  
  
Tightening the tourniquet further, Darius looked down at you, his face clouded with concern. He reached up, running his hand along your hair. “You’re going to be fine,” Darius assured you. “It’s gonna hurt like a bitch though for us to pick you up.” You nodded, letting him know that you were okay with it. “You ready?” You nodded again. He shot a look at the other man, “Come on, then.”  
  
…  
  
Shtjefen: Bitch!


	10. Chapter 10

“Y/N? Look at me!” You opened your eyes slightly, glowering at Darius. You were exhausted and laying on the seat in the back of the truck was providing you an opportunity to fall asleep. But, Darius was not going to let that happen. “Do not fall asleep. Focus on me. Y/N!” Darius’ voice rang. He was desperately trying to keep you conscious on the ride to the doctor. He was pressing down tightly on your stab wound, trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible.  
  
“I am,” you mumbled, feeling annoyed.  
  
“Keep doing it then!”  
  
Throughout the ride, which felt like it took forever, he kept making sure you were looking at him. When you arrived, him and the man carried you inside. It was late, and it was a private doctor. Even in your state you concluded that it was a doctor that Aleksandar had on his payroll. No other place should have been open at that time.  
  
The doctor, Dr. Petrović Darius told you was her name, had moved quickly to attend to your leg and stop the bleeding.  
  
You had finally slipped off to sleep after the doctor had finished her work. Darius shook you awake, which seemed like hours later.  
  
“You have concussion,” Dr. Petrović stated, sitting next to your bed. She was struggling to speak to you in English, her accent heavy. “Ribs are fine. Jaw will bruise. Stab wound deep and you must clean every day. It will heal. Nose is broken. I set again.” She sure did, and it had hurt like a bitch. “You will bruise badly. You need rest. Lot of rest.” She sighed and then added with a small smile, “But baby is fine.”  
  
This caught you off guard. Darius turned an accusative look in your direction. You were gaping, you knew it. You felt like lead, time slowing.  
  
“What baby?” you stammered.  
  
She looked confused at your question. “You are pregnant… Three weeks.”  
  
The color had left Darius’ face. You shook your head, disbelieving. “No… I can’t be.”  
  
Realization dawned on the doctor’s face. “You not know.” Your gaping expression was enough confirmation that she needed. She snuck a look at Darius before looking back at you. “Well, you are,” the doctor responded. “Three weeks.” Meeting Darius’ eyes you stared at him, scared. The doctor looked uncomfortable. “I leave you alone.” She disappeared, leaving you and Darius in the room.  
  
You expected him to blow up on you. He was standing at the sink, his hand gripped tightly on the counter top, staring at the ground. Instead, he stated, “We will deal with it.”  
  
“I can’t have a baby,” you said, your voice shaking.  
  
“We will deal with it,” he repeated, forcefully, finally looking up at you.  
  
Shaking your head, tears pricking your eyes, you whimpered, “I… No. Not with him.”  
  
He moved from the counter to come over to your side. Brushing your hair out of your face to look you directly in the eyes, he said in a firm voice, “Y/N, look at me.” You did as he asked. “You will be fine.” He looked embarrassed and then asked, “Have you gotten yourself… you know checked?”  
  
“Obviously not!” you snapped and then added, “But, I never had a need to. He’s clean.”  
  
Darius looked slightly annoyed, “You didn’t use condoms?”  
  
“No, I am on the pill!”  
  
“You still should have used a condom.”  
  
This infuriated you. “It’s a little late to lecture me now.”  
  
He informed you, “Apparently you need to hear it.”  
  
“Now isn’t the time!” you snapped at him and he shut up, looking away from you. You let out a shaky breath, a couple of tears falling. “Can you imagine… as if this situation isn’t complicated enough. Adding a baby would just make it worse. I can’t have it.”  
  
“I would imagine the thought of having a baby with someone like him would be unsettling.”  
  
“It’s not him that is the problem,” You remarked irritated, throwing him a glare. Darius gave you a knowing look and you scoffed, “Fine. He’s a little overbearing and that would cause a huge fight considering my home is in Italy and I would want to be there with a baby rather than with a baby in Russia. But, really. A different situation I might be more… receptive. But this place and time? No.” You wiped at your eyes, brushing the tears away.  
  
Darius said nothing, and you could tell he was upset that you insinuated that you were not put off completely by the thought of sharing a child with Castiel. He was always going to hate that family and there was nothing you could do about that.  
  
Sighing, you let it rest. “Just get me back home.” You just wanted to sleep to forget about everything right now.  
  
<> <> <>  
  
Surprisingly, Matteo had not been angry with the pair of you. You thought he would have been furious to learn that you two had let your guard down and had foolishly gotten yourselves put in a situation where you could have died. His anger was completely focused on the fact that Shtjefen and his men had attempted to kill two of his people in retaliation for a situation that had been warranted. His dad had crossed Matteo’s family and killing him was retribution. Any action past that was gratuitous to him.  
  
He ordered you to rest. You agreed to do so but left the house a couple of days after the fact.  
  
You had decided to go alone into the facility to get the abortion. Darius had dropped you off, but you made him leave to go to the market or something. Considering the physical state of your body, it took some convincing for the doctor to agree to do the procedure. To be fair, you did look like a victim of abuse and the doctor wanted to make sure you were not being pressured into the abortion by a boyfriend or husband. Hence why you had chosen to go alone. Bringing Darius along would have made convincing the doctor harder since there would have been a man there with you who looked beat up as well, as if maybe you had put up a fight against him.  
  
The drive back towards the house was a quiet one.  
  
“Are you going to tell him?” Darius asked softly, breaking the silence.  
  
You didn’t answer for a moment. “No,” you replied in a quiet voice.  
  
Darius nodded, hearing you say this. “Probably for the best, amore.” He reached over and gave your hand a tight squeeze.  
  
Bringing his hand up to your lips, you gave it a small kiss. “Thank you. For everything.”  
  
“You are my family,” Darius replied, throwing a look at you, giving you a small smile. “You do not need to thank me.” He paused and then added, “Just… just promise me you’ll be more careful from here on out.”  
  
You leaned your head back on the seat, sighing heavily. “He might find out,” you muttered.  
  
“He won’t. Only you, me, Dr. Petrović, and the doctor here know about it.”  
  
You snorted, “I think you are underestimating him. He’s as good at getting information as Matteo is.” Darius had nothing to say to do this. “Especially since I haven’t talked to him in a few days. He’s going to be prying.”  
  
“Just tell him you were trying to recover from getting your ass almost killed. That’s explanation enough. He’ll be preoccupied worrying about you.”  
  
What you had said, you had been referring to Chuck, but Darius had misunderstood that you thought Castiel was going to pester you for information. You decided to just let him think that.  
  
“I suppose.” You still couldn’t help feeling a nervous gnawing in your stomach at the thought of Castiel finding out you had made a decision alone that should have been made between the two of you. You knew he had a temper and although he had never exploded on you, the possibility of him discovering something that he would no doubt see as a betrayal was a dreadful thought.  
  
<> <> <>  
  
“Found her!”  
  
Chuck had walked into the billiard room in Castiel’s mansion, interrupting a game of pool. Castiel straightened up immediately. You had not responded to him in days and it had worried him, not to mention annoyed him. He hated not having contact with you and knowing what you were doing; it unnerved him. He had sent Chuck on a task to find out your whereabouts.  
  
“Not good news,” Chuck announced slowly, placing his hands in his pockets. He rocked slightly onto his toes, watching Castiel’s reaction.  
  
“What do you mean?” Castiel demanded, placing his pool stick down on the table, fully facing Chuck. Everyone else had stopped in the room and were watching the exchange. He noticed them and snapped at the boyeviks at the other side of the room, “Vne!” They did so quickly. “Tell me,” Castiel ordered when it was just him, Chuck, Sam, and Dean left in the room.  
  
“Uh… Shtjefen found her.” Castiel’s eyes widened in the slightest, his attention zeroed in on Chuck. “He put her in the hospital.”  
  
Inhaling sharply, Castiel’s demeanor changed from worried to furious instantaneously. “Where?”  
  
“Serbia,” Chuck informed him. “Shtjefen didn’t kill her. He just… stabbed her and punched her?” He seemed to realize how ridiculous it was to act as if those things were worthy of being brushed off as it was coming out of his mouth.  
  
“Just?” Castiel’s tone was dripping acid.  
  
Chuck shook his head, “Yeah, sorry. He stabbed her leg. And got a few good punches in. Broke her nose and he gave her a concussion.” Castiel looked murderous. “But she’s alive. So that is… good news?”  
  
Neglecting to address that, Castiel turned his attention to Sam and Dean, snarling, “Uznayte, gde on nakhoditsya!”  
  
Jumping to action, trying to keep control of the situation, Chuck asked, “Whoa, what?” He peered at Sam and Dean, searching for an answer to what Castiel said.  
  
“I will kill him myself,” Castiel growled.  
  
“Okay, no,” Chuck interjected quickly, stepping closer to Castiel. Noticing the expression on Castiel’s face at being told no, Chuck responded hastily, “You won’t have to. Tehrani shot him straight through the chest.”  
  
“And where was Tehrani the whole time?” Castiel shouted, losing his temper, learning that Darius had been there with you.  
  
Chuck scoffed, not liking being yelled at when the situation was not his fault. “Being attacked himself! He thankfully made it there in time.” He exhaled sharply before sitting in a chair. “Shtjefen wasn’t fucking around when he came after them. All of them were out drinking, so catching them off guard was going to be easier. His men went after Tehrani and Aleksandar and he went after Y/N himself!”  
  
This only infuriated Castiel further hearing you were attacked alone. “How did he find them in the first place?”  
  
“One of Aleksandar’s men was doing some insider trading and owed Shtjefen,” Chuck explained.  
  
“Is he alive?”  
  
“Who? The guy?” Chuck gave a small laugh. “No. Aleksandar did a sweep and killed him on the spot for betraying him.” Castiel was not surprised. Aleksandar, like pretty much every other crime boss, would not put up with insubordination and betrayal within their ranks.  
  
“There’s something else…” Chuck started to relate but faltered slightly underneath Castiel’s piercing stare. He always hated delivering Castiel bad news and this was going to be a bomb. “She was pregnant,” he admitted. “Saw it in the file.”  
  
Eyes flashing, Castiel took in this information. Chuck could not recall the last time he saw Castiel look as inhuman as he did then. The anger and the savage expression on his face was unsettling. “Was?” He finally asked, his voice low.  
  
“Cas?” Sam ventured gently.  
  
“Zatkni past!” Castiel snarled, throwing a glare at Sam. He turned his gaze back to Chuck. “What are you saying?”  
  
Stammering, Chuck put his hands out at loss, “I don’t know how to put it lightly - or gently or whatever, you know? But -” He was cut off by Castiel turning away from him.  
  
Castiel threw himself away from the pool table, turning away quickly. He paced, wiping at his mouth angrily. No one was saying anything, letting him wallow in fury. Stopping in front of the sink where glasses had stacked up from the night of drinking, he stared at the wall furiously.  
  
Deciding to take the jump, Chuck sighed, leaning forward in the chair, “Cas, you need to know - ” he tried to press on but Castiel suddenly reached out, sweeping everything off of the counter in front of him. The glass shattering on the floor was deafening.  
  
He picked up a bottle, throwing it against the wall, shattering the glass and content all over the floor. Glass after glass met the wall, along with drawers from the counter top being ripped from their confines. Everyone sat there uncomfortably as Castiel threw things around the room, tearing it apart. He was caught up in a rage. Sam flinched as a drawer collided with the wall to the right of him.  
  
When there was nothing left to throw, Castiel whipped around. He was breathing heavily, his eyes wild. His gaze landed on Sam. Sam straightened up immediately. Castiel pointed at him threateningly and ordered, “Snimat’ vsyu svoyu rabotu ! Uznayte, gde zhivet yego sem'ya.”  
  
“Khorosho,” Sam responded quickly, nodding.  
  
Chuck opened his mouth to speak but Dean beat him to the punch. “Chto eto budet reshat?” Dean asked and Castiel rounded on him. Sam stared at Dean from across the pool table, looking shocked.  
  
“Izvinite?”  
  
Shrugging, Dean threw his hands out, “Istoshcheniye resursov , chtoby vysledit’ i unichtozhit’ yego torgovlyu ? I ubivayet yego sem'yu , kotoraya ne imela nichego obshchego s tem, chto sluchilos?”  
  
“Ne sprashivayte menya.” Castiel’s voice was low and dangerous.  
  
“Ya budu sprashivat’ tebya,” Dean snapped defiantly. “Vy ne soobrazhal!”  
  
“Vy vsegda byli protiv neye , potomu chto vy nenavidite Tehrani,” Castiel yelled at him, getting in his face.  
  
Dean did not back down from this. “Ya ne dayu der'mo ob etom!” Dean declared angrily. “Ya puteshestvoval s ney dlya vas , kak vy prosili . Vy vzroslyy chelovek zadnitsu . Vy mozhete sdelat’ - i yebat’ - kto i chto vy khotite. Ty nachal'nik.”  
  
“Ne opekay menya,” Castiel warned him. “Ya ne v nastroyenii!”  
  
“Ya ne pokrovitel'stvovat’ vam ! Ya proshu vas byt’ ob"yektivnymi zdes!”  
  
“HEY!” Chuck bellowed at the two of them, shutting them up immediately. He faltered seeing Castiel’s savage look on his face. He approached more gently with his tone, “I don’t know what you’re arguing about but I’m sure it’s about getting back at Shtjefen. But, there’s something I need to clear up, considering I got cut off.”  
  
“What?” Castiel demanded.  
  
“The baby didn’t die because she got the shit kicked out of her, Cas,” Chuck revealed with a small sigh. He looked reluctant to continue but did. “She had an abortion when she got back to Italy. She found out she was pregnant at the hospital. One of my guys saw her go.”  
  
The air in the room was tense. Even Dean had nothing to say to this, knowing it was going to be a huge blow to Castiel for him to hear that.  
  
“Without speaking to me…” Castiel started but trailed off, looking too angry to speak. He was shaking, breathing slowly. “You are sure?” He spat at Chuck after a few more moments. Chuck gave a little nod, looking guilty that he had to be the one to confirm it.  
  
Castiel suddenly took off towards the door. “Where are you going?” Chuck called after him, standing halfway up from the chair, sounding worried.  
  
“I need to shoot something,” Castiel snarled over his shoulder, disappearing down the hallway, leaving them behind.  
  
“Yeah, because him handling a gun right now is a fantastic idea,” Chuck scoffed loudly, throwing his hands out in disbelief at Dean and Sam.  
  
…  
.  
Castiel: Out!  
  
Castiel: Find out where he is at!  
  
Castiel: Shut the fuck up!  
  
Castiel: Take down his whole operation! Find out where his family lives.  
Sam: Okay.  
Dean: What is that going to solve?  
Castiel: Excuse me?  
Dean: Wasting resources to track down and destroy his trade? And killing his family that had nothing to do with what happened?  
Castiel: Do not question me.  
Dean: I will question you. You are not thinking straight.  
Castiel: You have always been against her because you hate Tehrani.  
Dean: I do not give a shit about that! I traveled with her for you like you asked. You are a grown ass man. You can do - and fuck - whoever and whatever you want. You are the boss.  
Castiel: Do not patronize me. I am not in the mood.  
Dean: I’m not patronizing you! I’m asking you to be objective here!


	11. Chapter 11

Chuck walked into the dining room where Castiel was eating breakfast alone. Castiel had taken a quick glance at him to see who it was before resuming eating. Chuck sat across the table from him, Castiel not looking up at him again.

 

Looking over Castiel’s appearance, Chuck noticed he was done up as usual. He did not seem outwardly disheveled. It had been a few days since Chuck had left the house and decided to give him some space. He had worried the whole time that Castiel would be rash, although he had not known why he felt that way. Castiel had always been one with a proclivity towards careful planning. Prudent would be an adjective Chuck would use to describe him. But, with Y/N, Castiel seemed to be losing his head a bit.

 

“You are just going to stare at me all day?” Castiel questioned, sounding unamused.

 

Ignoring his tone, Chuck inquired, “How are you feeling?”

 

“Like shit.”

 

“I would imagine so.”

 

Castiel shoved a forkful of food into his mouth. When he swallowed, he informed Chuck, “I will tell her I know.”

 

That is what Chuck had been afraid of. “You can’t go in there guns blazing.”

 

Castiel looked taken aback. “I am not going to shoot her!” he snapped.

 

Chuck rolled his eyes and then said, “Not literal guns, Castiel. It’s a phrase – whatever. You can’t go in there just yelling at her and giving away that you know everything. It’s just going to explode into something worse if you do.”

 

“I want her to live here.”

 

“She’s not going to agree to that.” Castiel’s expression darkened. Chuck shrugged, “Sorry, I am just trying to be realistic.”

 

“She is with me.”

 

“Secretly.”

 

“She is mine,” Castiel snapped, his tone furious.

 

Chuck grimaced slightly, shaking his head, “I wouldn’t lead with that.”

 

“She disrespected me!”

 

“And since you are seeing her secretly, no one knows.” Castiel shot Chuck a piercing glare. Chuck sighed, “I mean, besides you, me, Dean, and Sam. So, really, you would not have to act if you did not feel the need to.”

 

“I feel the need to.” Castiel looked stoic.

 

“Look, I do not like it any more than you do. But, she’s not your wife. You’re not supposed to have a wife. You are not supposed to have children – “

 

“You do not have to tell me my code,” Castiel spat. “She is still seeing me. She knows rules. No matter differences between Russia and Italy. She is supposed to be loyal.”

 

“She hasn’t cheated.”

 

Rubbing his mouth furiously, Castiel turned his eyes away from Chuck. He suddenly slammed his hand down on the table, causing Chuck to flinch. He leaned in on the table towards Chuck, pointing at him threateningly. “She betrayed my trust. That is not loyal!” Chuck put his hands out in defeat as Castiel pushed on, his voice rising with each word, “I will not let her get away with it! She did not ask me permission! Especially in situation that I am part of!”

 

Chuck realized he was getting nowhere, so he tried another approach. “Cas, I am only telling you this because she is from a different family. Do you really want to cause a fight there?”

 

Castiel gave a humorless laugh. “There will be no fight.” He leaned back in his chair again. Shrugging he said, “She would not risk it.”

 

“I don’t think exploiting and black mailing someone is part of a healthy relationship.”

 

Scoffing, Castiel remarked, “I am not going to blackmail her.”

 

“So, what then?”

 

“I am cutting it off,” Castiel replied simply.

 

Chuck looked completely taken aback by this. “Wait, what?”

 

“She will not hear from me.”

 

“You’re not responding to her?”

 

Inhaling deeply, Castiel said quietly, “I am too angry to.”

 

“So, permanently? That is your punishment?”

 

“Not permanently.”

 

“So, you’re being passive aggressive?”

 

“Net. I am giving her time to think about us. And she will miss me. What is English saying about this? About being away?” Chuck furrowed his brow and Cas sighed slightly, “Be away, love more.”

 

Realization dawned on Chuck’s face and he wagged his finger at Castiel. “Right. ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’?”

 

“Da. I give her choice after not having contact. I think she will see things my way. She is quite attached.”

 

“You are being emotionally manipulative.”

 

“Better than physically.”

 

“Not entirely true but if you would like to believe that.” Castiel shot him another look and Chuck picked up his glass, taking a drink of his water. “Well, as long as you are not going to kill her, do whatever you want.”

 

“Like you could stop me from killing her.”

 

“Yes, true. But, it just makes me feel more at ease knowing that you are not.”

 

Castiel looked away from him, clicking his tongue. “I do not think I could even if I wanted to.”

 

“That’s not good,” Chuck responded and Castiel narrowed his eyes. “What? Wasn’t it you who always told everyone that love is weakness. Hence why anyone in the Bratva is not supposed to have a wife or kids in the first place? Not that you made the rules. Just that you very strongly stuck – “

 

Rolling his eyes, Castiel snapped, “You are dismissed.” He stabbed at his food angrily.

 

Chuck nodded, standing up from his chair quickly, “Right. I’ll leave you to it.” He stopped and then looked at Cas, “You should really think about how you are going to handle this though. She isn’t going to be domesticated.”

 

“I do not want her domesticated like little house wife. I want her by me, not below me…” Castiel murmured, lost in his own thoughts. He took a long drink of his water, staring off. He suddenly shot a look at Chuck and snapped, irritated again, “Didn’t I tell you to leave?”

 

<> <> <>

 

“I don’t think he is one to fuck around with, Y/N.”

 

You and Darius were walking through the market, following Lucia and her father without trying to be obvious. They were shopping for Matteo’s annual party he threw in joint with Aristide, a Frenchmen specializing in money laundering. Matteo’s relationship with Aristide was a good one; a lot of money and resources were shared and exchanged between the two. An odd pair but a loyal one nonetheless. The party was thrown to not only show off their wealth but also to keep up good relationships with their network of business partners on both sides. Matteo and Aristide alike gained a lot from having connections through each other to extraneous relationships the other one brought to the table.

 

Darius was not letting up on your relationship with Castiel. You had been cross because he was not responding to your messages or calls, and Darius was noticing you were off. And he automatically assumed it was because of Castiel. At least he didn’t beat around the bush, but it was annoying.

 

“He…” You trailed off, shaking your head, looking away from him. You wanted nothing more than to disappear to escape Darius’ pestering.

 

“What?” Darius prodded, leaning in closer to you.

 

“Nothing. He’s… he’s just been a little weird lately.”

 

Darius rose his eyebrows and questioned, “You think he is seeing someone else?”

 

You glared at him, “As if that’s what I would be worried about.”

 

“Then what is it?”

 

You chewed on your lip gently, debating quickly back and forth about telling him the truth. This was Darius. If you could not trust him, you could not trust anyone. “He wants me in Russia more often.” Darius’ face darkened at this and you instantly regretted saying anything. “I told him no. Not right now,” you quickly assured him.

 

“Not right now,” Darius repeated back, his tone irritated.

 

You sighed loudly and started, “It’s hard doing this in secret – “

 

He cut you off. “You realize that you just spelled out everything wrong about this, right? With that statement? You shouldn’t have to be sneaking around.”

 

“No, I shouldn’t. Me and him should not be a problem in the first place.”

 

Darius chuckled and retorted, “That wasn’t my point. But, okay. He’s trying to steal you away, Y/N.”

 

Stopping, you stared at him incredulously. “No, he is not!” you exclaimed, catching his attention and he stopped as well in the middle of the street, passersby whispering at you crossly as they shoved past.

 

His expression was concerned as he closed the space between you. “Do you really believe that?” he asked quietly.

 

“Yes!” your tone was firm and sure.

 

“You really like him?”

 

“Yes.”

 

This answer seemed to pain him to hear. He snorted loudly, shaking his head. “You are better than this.”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” You couldn’t help but to sound offended.

 

“The Russian mafia is barbaric!” Darius snapped, trying to be close to reduce the amount of people who would be able to hear him. “They have no structure. No hierarchy – “

 

“You don’t understand his,” you interjected.

 

“No, I do,” Darius snapped. “Do you really think he cares for you?”

 

“Yes. God, Darius! Why the fuck are you being so difficult about this?”

 

“He is a crime boss, Y/N! Not someone you want to get in bed with!” Darius exclaimed and then inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down. He continued in a quieter voice, “Italian bosses, sure. They take wives. Russian mafia, they do not.”

 

“I do not want to be a wife,” you replied crossly. “And if you haven’t noticed, we are both already in bed with a crime boss. And it is going quite alright.”

 

Darius threw his head back in annoyance. He clenched his jaws and hissed, “You are not sleeping with Matteo!”

 

“Which puts me at more risk, yeah? He has a relationship with me, sure. But if I betrayed him? He would not hesitate to punish me – more than likely kill me. But, if I was sleeping with him, he would definitely have some hesitations about doing anything to hurt me.” Darius said nothing to this and you pressed, “Right? So, then why do you feel I am unsafe with Castiel? The same conclusion about that hypothetical scenario with Matteo should apply to him as well.”

 

Again, Darius said nothing, and you sighed loudly.

 

“Whatever,” you muttered, going to move past him but he reached his arm out and stopped you. You groaned loudly, and he ignored you, bringing you back in front of him.

 

His eyes were filled with concern as he told you quietly, “Do not get in any further than you already are. Even if they do not take wives, you are still his girlfriend.”

 

“And?”

 

“I do not think it is wise to be that.”

 

A loud sigh escaped your lips. “Seriously? Why?”

 

“I am not going to tell you what to do. You are an adult. But, as you know, mafia families are not always… egalitarian.” Darius seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

 

“Well, neither is the rest of the world.”

 

Darius rubbed the back of his neck, hesitant. He tried, “You live in a place where it is better. You can find a better relationship. There are many men around here who are not a part of the Mafia life. I know that is not advised but if you happen to find one who is okay with it, you will be safer.”

 

“He has not hurt me.”

 

“But you know, many men in this line of work feel they are entitled. As if they own you and can do whatever they want with you. You know that.” You stared at him, your eyes burning into him. How dare he bring that up. He clenched his jaw, looking away from you. “I don’t want to talk about that willingly or force you to, but it needs to be said.” He paused and the continued, “You know, maybe I’m just basing Castiel off of Dean, but Dean is not a gentle person.”

 

“Castiel is. To me.”

 

Exhaling, Darius placed his hands on your shoulders. “It pains me to have to only take your word for that. I don’t want you there again. Especially since…”

 

“Since what?”

 

“Marcello is coming home to visit.”

 

Your breath froze in your chest. “When?” you choked out.

 

“For the party,” Darius sighed. “Matteo told me.”

 

Nothing was coming to you to say to this. You couldn’t seem to find your grounding again. “Come on,” Darius muttered, pulling you to him. “It will be fine.” It was your turn to say nothing as you let him hug you tightly. Marcello coming home was the last thing you wanted.

 

<> <> <>

 

Your door closed behind you and you made sure your dress did not get caught in the door. It was the night of Matteo’s party and you were dolled up, ready to go. You turned the corner to the stairs, your heels clicking on the marble floor.

 

“Mi sei mancato, cugino!”

 

You almost outwardly groaned. Marcello, Lucia’s cousin, was standing at the bottom of the stairs with Dante, Lucia’s little brother. They were chatting loudly, catching up. You moving caught his attention and he looked up the stairs at you, before his face broke into a wide smile. His hazel eyes were bright, which meant he was sober. For now. His hair was shorter than the last time you had seen him, brushed back. Even knowing he was going to be there, you were still caught off guard at the sight of him.

 

“Guardando bella come sempre, stellina,” he greeted you. He was always going to refer to you as his little star, regardless of what you said or did.

 

Marcello was your ex-boyfriend. You had dated him a couple of years ago for quite a while comparable to other relationships you had. Although, your relationship with Castiel was reaching the same time frame. Marcello had a drug problem and was over protective of women he was seeing. It was no surprise you two had not meshed well.

 

And it was no surprise to you the moment, in a fit after snorting too many lines and too much alcohol, he had raised a hand to you. You had been torn for a few moments about whether to retaliate. You were new to this family and did not want to lose your job. But you were also not going to be assaulted and let that person get away with it.

 

You had retaliated.

 

He had over powered you quickly and had pinned your hands down to your side, screaming in your face, furious you had hit him back. Lucia had heard the ruckus and rushed into the room, tearing the two of you a part.

 

Matteo had stayed out of it for the most part, considering he did not want to cause waves with his brother. He had merely suggested that Marcello follow his other brother to the states and had made sure there was a job available before he suggested this. His push and job offer worked. You got out of the relationship without having to damage family relationships, no matter how much you wanted to.

 

Before leaving, he had told you – told, not asked like a normal, stable person – that if you were both single the next time he came to visit, he would take you out. This was a moment where you wish you could be open about your relationship with Castiel.

 

Ever since Darius had told you he was coming back to visit, your stomach had been in knots. Darius had promised to keep by you, part of Matteo’s orders for him. But where was he right now?

 

“Marcello,” you responded reluctantly, continuing your descent down the stairs.

_Where the hell was Lucia and Darius?_ you thought again furiously to yourself.

 

He leaned against the newel post as you reached the bottom of the stairs, “Si dispiace essere al mio fianco questa sera?”

 

Swallowing back a groan, you forced a smile, “Sì , in realtà. Io vado con Darius.”

 

A flash of darkness passed his face for a moment before he jostled your arm, “Darius always has you to himself. Come on, Y/N. You have not seen me in forever. I have missed you.”

 

“I – “ you started to say firmly but Dante cut you off by waving you off. You wished you could slap his well-groomed head off of his body.

 

“She’ll go. I have a date. You two will be together. Lucia is going with someone. I’m sure Darius will find some random girl there. It’ll be fine. Right, Y/N?”

 

Dante and Marcello were looking at you expectantly and you shifted uncomfortably. Dante had been younger when the shit had gone down between the two of you. You were not sure he knew everything about it. You highly doubted it and yet you were still annoyed at him pushing you towards Marcello because of his own ignorance.

 

Was this worth the fight? Probably. But you also knew that Matteo was relying on you to be guard tonight and to keep peace. And if that peace was not letting Marcello get wasted off his ass and embarrass Matteo…

 

“Yeah,” you responded hoarsely, your voice void of anything.

 

Marcello did not seem to notice. Why would he? He was always so self-absorbed. He swung his arm through yours and smirked, “Alright. Good news. Let’s go then.” You had to swallow bile that was threatening to come up as you let him lead you towards the main doors.

 

…

Dante: I have missed you, cousin!  
  
Marcello: Looking beautiful as ever, little star.  
Marcello: You mind being by my side tonight?  
You: Yes, actually. I am going with Darius.

 

<> <> <>

 

Castiel leaned against the railing, overlooking the room where everyone was gathered. He had shown up at Matteo’s get together without letting Y/N know he was going to be there. He wanted his appearance to be a surprise. On the way over, he had shared a bottle with Dean, Sam, Chuck, and a couple other boyeviks in his limo. He wanted to loosen up his inhibitions and relax before he confronted and spoke to Y/N. He was definitely feeling it. He, in his slightly drunken state, expected her to come to him, demanding his attention. He partially hated himself for desiring this and partially desired wanting to see her grovel.

 

He was scanning the crowd, looking for her. He finally spotted her near the front of the hall and his eyes immediately zeroed in on the man next to her with his arm around her. He clenched his jaw, glaring down at the pair.

_The little slut_ , he raged internally, jumping to conclusions.

 

What little patience he had left with Y/N was quickly dissolving.

 

“Chuck!” He snapped, turning around furiously.

 

“Yeah?” Chuck asked, approaching him.

 

Castiel roughly grabbed Chuck’s arm, who looked startled by the physicality of it, before yanking him to the railing. He pointed furiously down into the crowd, “Who the fuck is that?”

 

“You’re going to have to be a little more specific, Cas. There’s a lot of people here…?”

 

Castiel let out a low growl, “Don’t fuck with me, Chuck. The man with Y/N!”

 

Chuck quickly scanned the room, looking for her frantically. When he saw her, he looked the man up and down. He was at loss. He looked at Cas, shrugging helplessly, “I don’t know.”

 

Part of Castiel wanted to just turn around and never see her again. The other part, the stronger part, still wanted her. To possess her and have her. He was drawn in by her; the very thought of having her was intoxicating. No, he wouldn’t walk away. Seeing her intertwined with another was enraging and agonizing. Goddamn his feelings.

 

“You want me to find out?” Chuck ventured cautiously when Castiel didn’t respond immediately.

 

“Obviously,” Castiel snarled, focusing back on Chuck, his lip curling.

 

“Alright,” Chuck muttered, before knocking his drink back and placing the empty glass back on the table. “I’ll ask her directly.” He turned quickly and disappeared.

 

Sam approached Castiel’s side placing his hands on the railing. “Ona igrayet s toboy, kuzen,” Sam warned Castiel over the music.

 

“Yesli ona yest’, ona ne budet namnogo dol'she. Ya ne budu stoyat’ za eto.” Castiel stated, refusing a waitress that approached him with drinks on a tray. He was too focused on watching Chuck move through the crowd to be bothered.

 

“Ya dumayu, chto vam nuzhno otpustit,” Sam pressed.

 

Staring straight ahead, Castiel responded quietly, “Blagodarim Vas za nezhelatel'nykh sovetov . Teper’ ostav'te menya v pokoye.”

 

Sam shook his head before pushing himself off the railing and leaving Castiel to his own devices.

 

…

Sam: She is playing you, cousin.  
Castiel: If she is, she won’t be for much longer. I will not stand for it.  
Sam: I think you should let it go.  
Castiel: Thank you for your unwanted advice. Now leave me be.

 

<> <> <>

 

Marcello had been talking your ear off all night. And had been overt about the fact that he wanted to rekindle your relationship, even for a short while. He said he would be heading back to the states, but he was not clear on when that was happening. You wanted to push his head into a punch bowl and make sure he didn’t surface breathing. But, that would go against your plan of trying to keep Matteo calm.

 

It was annoying as hell that you had to put your own comfort aside to keep Matteo happy, but he was your boss. And you were a part of his family, his mafia. Your personal sacrifices were for the better of the family. You had no intention of going home with Marcello.

 

Darius had already been circling the pair of you as soon as he saw you walk into the room. He was going to help you get out of this, so you were not too concerned. Yet, for the time being, it was extremely unbearable to be around him again.

 

Your phone buzzed in your clutch. You pulled it out, looking down at the screen. It was from Castiel. Your heart leaped. You had been waiting a response for over a week and a half.

 

_You look like you are having fun._

 

Your breath froze in your chest. That was not the text or response you had been expecting from him. You resisted the urge to look around the room, completely caught off guard about how to react. Why hadn’t he told you he was going to be here? You would have been firmer with Marcello and refused to have gone with him if you had known he was going to be here. And now you had no way to explain to him the situation unless he approached you, which you guessed was unlikely.

 

_Well, I’m glad it’s passable. I was a bit worried for a bit that it would be obvious I want to drink myself to death._

 

Hopefully he would find some amusement in your response. But, you knew he was not going to be calmed that easily.

 

Marcello returned, stopping in front of you. “You are sure you don’t want another drink?”

 

You forced a smile, “Yes. I need to stay at least a little bit sober.”

 

“It must suck to have to always be working,” Marcello commented. He reached out and pushed a stray hair behind your ear. You had to resist cringing at his touch. You hated him laying hands on you again and you feared that Castiel was watching. Marcello was digging you an extremely deep hole to climb out of the longer he lingered by you.

 

Shrugging, trying to pretend you were not bothered, you answered, “It is what I signed up for.”

 

“So,” Marcello said airily. “What is the deal with you and Darius?” You furrowed your brow at him, confused. He noticed and smiled, “Oh, come on. You two are together all the time. You work together, you hang out together, you drink together…”

 

Oh my god. He was jealous. Your phone buzzed in your clutch again, but you didn’t reach for it in front of him.

 

“Yeah, you kind of become friends with people you are with all the time.”

 

“Just friends?” His tone was questioning.

 

“Is that any of your business?” Your tone was dripping acid.

 

You being ambiguous about your answer was not helping the situation though. He looked annoyed for a second and then replied, “I would think so.” You couldn’t help but scoff slightly at this and he added, “We did agree to go out if we were both single the next time we saw each other.”

 

“I agreed to nothing,” you responded. Something caught your eye behind him and you recognized Chuck, leaning against the wall by the bathrooms, staring directly at you. You moved your eyes away from him back to Marcello as he said,

 

“Stop playing coy, Y/N.”

 

“I’m not. But, I have to use the restroom.” You walked around him quickly before he could protest and made a beeline. Chuck noticed you coming and turned on his heel, disappearing down the hall towards the bathrooms.

 

Chuck stopped near the bathrooms, leaning against the wall. You stopped in front of him and he asked right off the bat, “Who is your boyfriend?”

 

_And here we go_ , you thought.

 

“Why can’t he just come ask me himself?” you inquired testily, crossing your arms.

 

“He’s a little angry,” Chuck admitted.

 

“Because I am talking to some other guy?”

 

“Eh, partially it is that. More so that you are letting him lay hands all over you.”

 

_If he only knew_. Well, you were not going to keep in the dark.

 

“If he needs to know,” you spat at Chuck. “Marcello is an ex-boyfriend who I did not know was going to be coming home to Italy from America for the party. And if he also needs to know, Marcello and I are no longer together because the psychopath has a huge drug problem and he also has no trouble laying hands on me. And not in a good way.”

Chuck rose his eyebrows at this and you straightened up. “I am not happy about having to spend time with him, but I am also not going to piss him off and have him ruin Matteo’s night.”

 

“Quite selfless, aren’t you?” Chuck asked, and you couldn’t tell if he was being patronizing or not.

 

“You do things for your family sometimes that you do not want to.” Chuck cocked his head, not responding to you. You grew impatient with his silence. “Does he want to talk?”

 

“Not right now.” He must have noticed the look on your face because he added, “I’m sure if you keep grinding on Mario – “

 

“Marcello.”

 

“Marcello. Sorry. Keep grinding on Marcello, I’m sure it will change his mind eventually.”

 

It was your turn to be annoyed, “I am not one to play games. And I can handle it myself!”

 

“Probably a smart idea. He’s not one to make jealous. People have died for much less.” His tone was honest, and you were not about to brush it off as a joke. He sighed and said, “Anyway, you should probably get back.”

 

“Unfortunately,” you muttered. You shot him a look and said, “You will tell him what I told you?”

 

“It’s my job,” he responded, flashing you a smile before turning on his heel and walking down the hall, disappearing into the crowd again.

 

You watched him leave before turning to go to the bathroom. A few extra minutes without having to indulge Marcello would be welcome.

 

When you had finished, you reluctantly started making your way back out into the main hall. You suddenly remembered that you had received a text. You pulled your phone out of your clutch quickly and saw it was Castiel, as you had expected.

 

_I am not in mood for jokes._  
  
Rolling your eyes, you responded.  _You don’t seem to be in the mood for anything as of late._  
  
You were irritated by his lack of communication over the past week and a half and were also annoyed he had not come spoken to you himself. Knowing damn well you were only fanning the fire of whatever it was that had him irked, you sent the text. You deserved an apology from him and if that meant getting into an argument, then you were prepared. No matter how desperately you just wanted to be back in his arms. You missed him. Deep down, you hoped pissing him off would get him off his ass and get him to talk to you.

 

Sighing loudly, you shoved your phone back in your clutch before beginning to walk towards Marcello.

 

<> <> <>

 

“Who is he?” Castiel demanded as soon as Chuck was within sight again.

 

“An abusive, drug addicted ex-boyfriend,” Chuck replied simply sitting down at the table across from Castiel.

 

Anger flashed across Castiel’s face. His voice was low, “And why is she hanging around him?”

 

“You really need to work on your jealousy,” Chuck chortled, the alcohol getting the better of him. He then noticed the look on Castiel’s face and cleared his throat hastily. “Sorry. Um, she said she didn’t want to cause a scene at Matteo’s party and ruin the night. So, she’s just sucking it up.”

 

Sam rose his eyebrows and looked over at Castiel, who was fuming. “Vy khotite imet’ delo s nim, ili vy khotite, chtoby my?”

 

Castiel turned his eyes to Sam, looking vicious.

 

Dean cut in quickly, “Davay. Ne byt’ pospeshnym.” Castiel looked at Dean and Dean pressed firmly, “Cas, pozhaluysta. Yesli tol'ko on ne kladet na neye ruki po-nastoyashchemu, derzhat'sya podal'she ot nego seychas, da? Ona ne glupa. I vy pili.”

 

“He has already laid hands on her!” Castiel growled.

 

Looking defeated, Dean shrugged, leaning back in his chair. He had nothing to say because he had nothing to refute that.

 

“She also said she could handle it herself,” Chuck pointed out.

 

“Yes, we all know how well she handles things herself,” Castiel snarled and Chuck let out a low whistle, avoiding looking at him anymore.

 

Castiel’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. He clenched his jaw, staring down at his phone. “Suka!” he hissed, throwing his phone down onto the table. He picked up his drink and swallowed the rest of it whole.

 

“Chto?” Sam questioned.

 

“Ona povorachivaya yego vokrug menya!” Castiel exclaimed, gesturing wildly at his phone.

 

Dean leaned across the table and demanded, “Ya ne pytayus’ byt’ grubym ili subordinatsiyu , Cas . No vam vse ravno pridetsya vstretit'sya s Aristida . Vam nuzhno uspokoit'sya.”

 

Castiel let out a loud humorless laugh but Sam chimed in as well. “Ostanovka tekstovykh soobshcheniy yeye. Vy mozhete imet’ delo s ney pozzhe. U vas yest’ biznes seychas, da?”

 

Castiel was leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He exhaled loudly, leaning forward slowly again. “Pravil'no,” he affirmed quietly. He stood up from his chair, “Ona mozhet podozhdat’ nemnogo dol'she.” He caught the arm of a waitress going by. “I need water.” She nodded handing him a large glass off her serving tray.

 

He took the water in one fell swoop, slamming the empty glass down on the table. He looked at Sam and Dean and threw his arms out, “Business?” They both nodded, and he snapped his fingers, “Then get up!” He pointed at Chuck and ordered, “Save the table.”

 

…

Sam: You want to deal with it or do you want us to?  
Dean: Come on, don’t be hasty. Cas, please. Unless he lays hands on her for real, stay out of it for now, yeah? She’s not stupid. And you’ve been drinking.

 

Castiel: Bitch!  
Sam: What?  
Castiel: She’s turning it around on me!  
Dean: I’m not trying to be rude or insubordinate, Cas. But, you still need to meet with Aristide. You need to calm down.  
Sam: Stop texting her. You can deal with her later. You have business now, yeah?  
Castiel: Right. She can wait a little bit longer.


	12. Chapter 12

“Eto shlo khorosho,” Sam commented as they made their way back through the crowd.

“Ozhidali li vy, chto ne?” Castiel asked, sounding sour.

Sam rose his eyebrows, following Castiel. “Tak kak vy nemnogo otvleklis’ ? Net, ya ne.”

“Khorosho yeshche tri mesyatsa.”

“Khoroshaya rabota, boss,” Sam responded as they approached the table again.

Castiel’s attention was off Sam immediately seeing Chuck. “Where is she?” he demanded.

Chuck, knowing better, had kept tabs on Y/N. He knew Castiel was not going to just let it go. He exhaled smoke before responding, “She’s down there with that Italian fucker still.” He paused and then added, “He’s been pretty persistent.”

A cloud passed over Castiel’s face before he made his way to the balcony to look down. Dean shot Chuck an irritated look and Chuck shrugged at him, confused as to why Dean was pissed at him.

Dean leaned on the table, getting in Chuck’s face. “Keep that shit to yourself! You know his temper!” Dean hissed before standing up straight again, smoothing out his dress shirt.

Castiel turned away from the balcony, looking infuriated.

It took everything in Dean not to sigh loudly in annoyance. “Chto?”

“You are not kidding,” Castiel snapped at Chuck before forcing his way past Sam and Dean.

“You see what you did?” Dean snarled at Chuck and made to follow Castiel, but Sam put his hand out to stop him.

Sam shook his head, “Net. Pora idti . Vy idete poluchit’ avtomobil’.” Dean clenched his jaw and Sam said with more force, “Ya poluchil yego.”

Dean studied Sam for a few seconds before gesturing at Chuck. “Come.” Chuck got up immediately, knowing when Dean and Sam meant business. He followed Dean quickly through the crowd to find the car.

Sam sighed loudly and took off after Castiel, hoping to catch up to him before he caused any trouble.

 

…

Sam: That went well.  
Castiel: Did you expect it not to?  
Sam: Considering you are distracted? No, I did not.  
Castiel: Good for another three months.

Sam: Good job, boss.

  
Dean: What?  
Sam: No. It is time to go. You go get the car. I’ve got him.

 

<> <> <>

 

Marcello was forcing you out of the building. You were trying to play it off, as to not cause a scene. He was drunk, and you knew you should have kept a better watch on him than this. He must have been sneaking drinks, which he was all too good at. Your eyes scanned the crowd desperately. Where was Darius?

Angelica appeared at your arm and demanded, “Where are you going?”

“Go away, Angelica!” Marcello snapped at her annoyed. “We are going home.” His eyes turned to you, looking hungry. His eyes were glazed over, and you knew he had done something when he had been in the bathroom. He was looking at you with a wolfish look in his eyes.

“I can’t go home,” you tried desperately for what felt like the umpteenth time. You had tried to reason with him, telling him you had to stay. “Remember?”

You did not want to resort to tossing him onto the ground in front of everyone here, but it was increasingly seeming like you were going to have to do that in order for him to get his hands off of you.

“Baby, we have not been together in so long,” Marcello purred, stopping for a second, to bring you closer. You could feel his arousal through his pants.

“Marcello, please,” you exasperated, trying to pull away from him discreetly.

He did not take this well. He gave you a rough shove against the wall of the building. “You’re being a tease like always?”

“I haven’t done anything!”

“Oh, shut the fuck up!’

“You don’t get to treat me like this, Marcello!”

He got in your face and snarled, “I can treat you however I want!” He gave a humorless laugh. “You think because you are such a good little girl for Matteo that he would value you above me?”

“Marcello! Leave her alone!” Angelica snapped, before looking around for someone to help her intervene.

Marcello growled, “Go find some unsuspecting boy to dig your claws into, Angelica! It is what you are best at!”

Angelica looked dumbstruck at this. You on the other hand, slapped Marcello across the face, not thinking of the consequences. “Don’t you talk to her like that!”

This pushed Marcello over an edge. He grabbed your wrists before pinning you against the wall, almost knocking the air out of your lungs. You felt deja vu, his tight grip on your hands, trapping you to him. His breath was hot on your face. “Are you kidding me?” he snarled. You did not answer, gritting your teeth, trying to strong him away. He clamped down tighter, shaking you furiously. “Y/N? Are you going to fucking answer me?”

In an instant, Marcello was off you, leaving you exposed to the cool night air. You were stunned for a moment before you noticed him being held up against the wall beside you.

Castiel.

Castiel had slammed Marcello against the wall, his arm against Marcello’s throat. You wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. He couldn’t get involved in this. It would expose you both. You tried to intervene, but Angelica grabbed your arm, holding you back. Where was Sam? Where was Dean? You were terrified Castiel would try to kill Marcello.

Marcello struggled against Castiel, trying to shove him away while simultaneously trying to breathe.

To your relief, Sam was not far behind Castiel and appeared behind him, looking frazzled.

“Cas! Otpusti yego!” You heard Sam shout, yet held back from placing his hands on Castiel. He knew better than to lay hands on his boss.

 

…

Sam: Cas! Let him go!

 

<> <> <>

 

“Vy vyzyvaya stsenu!” Sam sounded from behind Castiel, still trying to persuade him to leave and let this fucker go. He was not done yet.

Castiel had witnessed this fucker slam Y/N against the wall, getting in her face. All he wanted to do was to drive a knife repeatedly into this piece of shit. He ignored Sam, his focus on this Italian prick.

“You do not touch her,” Castiel snarled, pressing his arm harder into the asshole’s throat. The Italian was struggling for breath, trying to shove Castiel away. “You hear me?”

“She is just a whore!” the Italian choked out, meaning to antagonize Castiel.

And it was working. Castiel clenched his jaw, wanting nothing more than to beat the shit out of him. He was starting to see red. All he could think about was the fact that this man had been with Y/N, touched her, abused her. He wanted retribution. He contemplated grabbing the asshole’s head and banging it repeatedly against the wall before Sam exclaimed beside him.

“Boss! Bezopasnost! Vy ne khotite , chtoby sdelat’ eto khuzhe, chem ona uzhe yest’!” Sam sighed loudly before scanning the crowd. He spotted Darius making his way, shoving people aside. “Tehrani budet obrashchat'sya s nim seychas ! Vy mozhete poluchit’ yego pozzhe! Tehrani pochti zdes’!”

Castiel stared daggers into the man’s eyes before leaning in close to hiss, “Keep your hands off her. Or I will kill you myself!”

He gave a last dig into the man’s throat before shoving himself away roughly. Sam immediately wrapped him up, quickly directing him away. Castiel had no bearings on his surroundings. He would have been wandering aimlessly, lost in his fury if Sam wasn’t there to guide him.

 

…

Sam: You’re causing a scene!  
Sam: Boss! Security! You do not want to make this worse than it already is!  
Sam: Tehrani will handle him for now! You can deal with him later! Tehrani is almost here!

 

<> <> <>

 

Castiel finally let go of Marcello and Sam led him away quickly as two body guards of Matteo’s approached the group. Sam was shoving Castiel into a black town car as they approached.

You quickly turned your attention back to Marcello who was gasping for breath on the ground, holding his throat and looking to be in pain.

“Signor Espinoza!” One of them exclaimed as Castiel’s car took off, leaving the crowd outside. The pair helped Marcello off the ground, holding him steady. “Stai bene?”

“Ti sembro bene?!” Marcello raged at them, finally able to speak again. He rounded on you immediately and Angelica’s hand clasped tighter to your arm, pulling you closer to her.

He pointed at you with a threating finger, advancing on you. “Tu! È slut!” He was in your face and you leaned back, trying to get farther away from his eyes that were boring into you. “Lo conosci?”

You stammered, not knowing how to respond.

His patience was thin. He grabbed your arm tightly, yanking you to him. “Rispondetemi!”

“Che diavolo sta succedendo?” Darius’ voice was like heaven. He appeared behind Marcello, pushing him away from you roughly. “Let go of her, Marcello!”

“Fuck off! Get your hands off of me, you son of a bitch!” Marcello shouted, jolting Darius roughly, causing Darius to stumble a little.

“Marcello!” Angelica gasped, outraged he was acting this way.

“Shut up, Angelica!”

“What the hell is your problem?” Darius snarled at Marcello. He was beginning to lose his cool. This was going to spiral out of control quickly.

“That little bitch had some Russian fucker try to beat me up!” Marcello growled at Darius, pointing at you accusingly without turning his gaze to you. He was on the edge of losing it completely.

Darius’ expression went cold, his eyes flicking to you. You exhaled deeply, knowing he knew exactly what Russian Marcello was referring to.

He wasn’t going to throw you under the bus. “You’re drunk, Marcello. You were apparently laying hands on her. It could have been anyone standing by intervening,” Darius responded, turning his attention back to Marcello.

The guards were still standing by, watching the pair intently. They didn’t know who to respond to it seemed like. Darius was the normal one, but they also knew that Marcello was blood of Matteo’s.

Marcello looked at his boiling point. “That BITCH was –“

Darius grabbed Marcello’s arm and yanked him to him, catching Marcello off guard. “Marcello, you are drunk! You are making a fool of yourself! That Russian had nothing to do with Y/N!” He got closer to Marcello and hissed, “Your uncle is not going to be happy! Get a hold of yourself!”

Marcello opened his mouth to protest angrily but Darius cut him off with a growl, “You’re causing a scene!”

They stared each other down for a few seconds, before Darius let go of Marcello’s arm roughly and looked at the guards. “Make sure he gets home safely!”

Angelica, surprisingly, took the lead and went to Marcello’s side. “Come on. I know where our car is.”

Marcello turned his gaze to you, burning a hole through you. He looked like he wanted to rip you to shreds. He knew he was drunk, but he was not convinced that you had nothing to do with Castiel. Why should he? Castiel had threatened him specifically because of your safety.

“Marcello!” Angelica’s voice was sharp.

Finally, he turned away from you, following Angelica and the guards towards a car to take them home.

You exhaled heavily, holding back tears. This was not how you expected your night to go.

Your relief was cut short as Darius latched onto you, turning you around aggressively and forcing you the opposite way, away from the crowd of people who were still watching intently.

The two of you walked in silence, you stumbling every now and again trying to keep up with his pace.

“Darius – “ you finally tried but he cut you off immediately.

“You are so stupid, Y/N!” He hissed, his grip on your arm tightening.

You swallowed sharply, keeping your mouth shut.

 

…

Guard: Mister Espinoza! Are you alright?  
Marcello: Do I look alright?!  
Marcello: You! You slut! You know him?  
Marcello: Answer me!  
Darius: What the hell is going on?


	13. Chapter 13

“Ya khochu, chtoby on umer,” Castiel snarled. He was fuming in the back seat of the town car as they drove towards their hotel.  


Sam sighed loudly, “Vy dumayete, chto oni ne sobirayutsya , chtoby ponyat’ eto?”  


Dean’s voice sounded from the front seat where him and Chuck were sitting. Chuck being the driver of course considering Dean had had a lot. “Vy teryayete golovu.”  


Sam sucked his teeth, turning his attention out the window, trying to avoid the confrontation that was about to explode in front of him.  


“Izvinite?” Castiel’s tone was low and threatening. He was getting sick of Dean talking back to him and the alcohol was not helping either of them keep their emotions in check.  


Castiel leaned forward in his seat when Dean did not respond immediately and demanded, “Eh! Vy chertovski ne ignorirovat’ menya!”

 

“She’s screwing you up, boss,” Dean finally replied over his shoulder.  


This infuriated Castiel. “You’re going to lose your head if you keep talking to me like that!” Dean threw his hands out and sighed loudly. Castiel wasn’t going to let it go. “What? Nothing more to say? You’ve been running your mouth a lot lately. And now you’re suddenly quiet?”

 

“You’re attacking people over her!” Dean couldn’t hold back his tongue any longer.  


Castiel let out a loud laugh, hitting Sam in the arm who merely looked at him worriedly. He didn’t want a fight between Castiel and Dean. Castiel pointed at Dean, “As if you have any room to talk! You’ve killed MULTIPLE men over Olga!”  


Dean shut up immediately, knowing Castiel had him on that. He had maimed and killed multiple men over simply looking at his girlfriend. He grit his teeth, trying to regain control over his anger.  


Suddenly Castiel got serious again, leaning forward, glaring daggers at the back of Dean’s head. “Look at me.”  
  
Dean, even in his drunk state, knew when he was toeing a line with Castiel. He obeyed immediately, turning his head around to look at Cas dead in the eyes.  


Castiel’s gaze was piercing, his expression furious. “You need to remember your place. I don’t butt in over you beating guys to death with a bat for looking at your girl. Even though I certainly could because I am your boss.”

His voice started rising. “It doesn’t work the other way around.” He pointed at Dean, his voice continuing to rise with every word. “So, I would appreciate it if you would remember you work for me and I have saved your ass multiple times, Dean!”  


“Boss – “ Dean tried to intervene to apologize.  


Castiel cut him off. He was shouting at this point. “Until I fucking bash a guy’s brains out for an imagined slight or it puts your life directly in danger, stay the fuck out of my relationship!”  


The vein in his forehead was popping, his face red, staring Dean down looking murderous. “You hear me?”  


“Da, boss,” Dean responded quickly, putting his hands up, looking back at Castiel with an apologetic look. “I am sorry. I am drunk.”  


“I don’t give a shit!” Castiel snapped, finally leaning back in his seat, rubbing his face furiously, before burying his face into his hands.  


Dean caught Sam’s eye who was staring him down as well. Dean narrowed his eyes mouthing at Sam to stop staring at him.

 

Sam shook his head angrily and couldn’t help refraining from muttering, “For someone who was worried about a temper…”

 

Dean heard this and he clenched his jaw, glaring daggers at Sam. He was getting caught a lot in circumstances he had no way to respond to and defend himself.  


“What?” Castiel demanded, looking up from his hands.

Sam shook his head again and replied, “Nothing. I was telling Dean to turn around.” He shot Dean another look before saying to Castiel, “Ona budet v poryadke, boss.”  


Castiel looked sour. “Ne v Italii ona ne budet.”  


…

Castiel: I want him dead.  
Sam: You think they’re not going to figure it out?  
Castiel: He was hurting her! He deserves it!  
Dean: You’re losing your head.  
Castiel: Excuse me?  
Castiel: Hey! Don’t fucking ignore me!

Sam: She’ll be fine, boss.  
Castiel: Not in Italy she won’t be.  


<> <> <>  


Darius pushed you up against his car the second you two were there out of sight from everyone else. “What the hell do you think are you doing?” He practically shouted at you.  


You leaned away from him, taken aback he was yelling at you.  


“I didn’t do anything!” you finally spat, getting your nerve again.  


“Right,” Darius snapped. He sucked his teeth and looked away from you.  


Gritting your teeth, you repeated, “I didn’t do anything! Marcello was getting up in my face! Trying to force me to go home with him! Speaking of which, where were you? You told me – “  


“Do not do that to me, Y/N!” Darius interjected quickly, shooting you a murderous look. “I was with Lucia, doing my goddamn job.”  


“As I should have been, but I was spending the night babysitting some drug addicted, abusive piece of shit! With this bum leg of mine!”  


“You could’ve told him no!”  


“Oh, could I? I wasn’t aware that was allowed. Because telling him no always works out so well for me!”  


Darius stepped closer, glaring down at you. “Why did you get Andronikov involved?” he demanded, his tone condescending.  


Throwing your arms out to your side, you shouted, “I didn’t even know he was there! Until he texted me halfway through the party! He’s been ignoring me! I haven’t talked to him in a week and a half! I thought he was done with me!” You felt your emotions start to well up and instead of backing off, you just kept going, unloading on Darius. “He hasn’t said anything to me about me getting fucking stabbed! No apology! Nothing! I know he knows.” You wagged your finger and snapped, “Chuck is too damn good for HIS own good! I would be astounded if he didn’t know. What am I supposed to make of that? Does Castiel not care?”  


Darius was staring at you, saying nothing.  


Your chest heaved, and you half sobbed, “I don’t know what to think!”  


Still, Darius said nothing.  


Collapsing against the car, you covered your face, trying to hide tears pricking at your eyes. You sniffled loudly, swallowing and trying to slow your breathing. After your worry with Castiel and then Marcello trying to force you back to him, you were having trouble keeping composure.  


“Tesoro…” Darius murmured. You forced yourself to not cry and lowered your hand, wiping at your nose. “You’re losing your head over him.”  


“Darius –” you started out, sighing exasperated.  


Darius cut you off. “No. Listen to me.” You closed your mouth. He cleared his throat and continued, “He obviously cares about you. He wouldn’t have thrown himself at a rival crime boss’ family – unless he didn’t know he was family – for someone if he didn’t have at least some level of affection and need to protect you.”  


“And I do not know what to tell you about him ignoring you. But I do know that him doing that is going to raise some questions. You can’t let this drag you down. You can’t put up with him playing games with you and then going all fucking crazy just to mark his territory.” You furrowed your brow at this and he sighed, “For lack of a better term.”  


You studied him, taking in his words.  


“You need to either get this under control and find out where he stands. Or cut it off. You are going to get questioned. He roughed up Marcello. Matteo is not going to overlook that. He’s not going to know who did it because Marcello is a fucking idiot and has no idea about who anyone is. And neither does Angelica. And I… I’ll say I didn’t see who it was. For your sake, I hope the guards didn’t see him.” He paused and then added, “But, I can’t keep covering for you and you are going to get caught eventually if you keep letting him be a loose cannon like this.”  


A silence fell between of the two of you as you chewed on his words. You knew he was right. What Castiel did was stupid and impulsive. But, seeing him there, protecting you was a relief after him blocking you out. He still cared.  


Yet, Darius was still right.  


“I know,” you finally responded quietly. “I need to talk to him.”  


…

Darius: Sweetheart…


	14. Chapter 14

A couple of days had passed since that eventful night with Marcello and Castiel. You had pushed Darius away from pressuring you to confront the problem, but you knew it was not going to last for long. You had finally gotten to the point you were comfortable with calling Castiel and discussing it with him.

Marcello had gone back to the states the day following your altercation, per Matteo’s orders. He was furious that Marcello had handled you ‘roughly’ again. Marcello had obviously not gained control of himself yet, Matteo commented. And added under his breath that he thought Marcello might be a lost cause. That was about as much apology you were going to get from him and you took it. As long as Marcello was away from you again.

You walked downstairs, pushing your hair out of your face, trying to push your sleepiness away. You turned the corner, spotting Darius sitting at the table already eating breakfast. You stifled an annoyed noise as he took notice of you.

You clenched your cell phone in your hand, thrusting it towards him. “I’m doing it,” you muttered at him as you walked by him towards the back yard. He rose his eyebrows at you, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Stop it,” you muttered.

“What?”

“Judging me,” you snapped before slamming the sliding glass door shut to cut him off from hearing your conversation clearly.

You leaned against the railing and dialed Castiel’s number.

He answered on the fourth ring. “Morning.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you dug in immediately.

“What?” He did not sound flustered.

“You almost got me in trouble!”

“You’re welcome,” Castiel commented from the other end of the phone.

Your mouth fell open at this.

“What do you mean ‘you’re welcome’?” you demanded after a few moments.

“Did you want him to choke you out on public street?”

The urge to reach through the phone and strangle him out was overwhelming. Why was he being so relaxed? You went on the defense. “You didn’t talk to me for a week and a half!”

Castiel replied simply without missing a beat, “I have been busy.” You felt your anger bubbling, threatening to spill over. Before you could respond, he continued, “And you obviously felt it was alright to go to party with an asshole. I think you were not missing me that bad.”

“Wow,” was all you could muster.

“Yes. Wow.”

It was getting hard to bite your tongue. “Castiel, why are you acting like this?”

“Like what?”

“I told Chuck why I was at that party with Marcello. Did he not tell you?”

“He told me.”

“And?”

“And I think you should stand up for yourself. And also respect me.”

“Why would you even think I do not respect you?”

“You would not be on another man’s arm.”

You reeled yourself in before answering him. “I am on Darius’ arm all the time,” you challenged. You felt petty and you were not going to let it go.

Castiel made an annoyed noise and retorted, “You and Tehrani are not romantically involved.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Unless there is something you want to share.”

It was your turn to scoff. “I can assure you that Darius and I have never had sex. No matter how many times we have passed out drunk together. So, you can just drop that.”

Castiel snorted before saying, “I do not have time for this.”

His words cut deep. You immediately started back tracking, “Castiel, please. I… I am just stressed out.” You sounded desperate and at that moment you honestly did not care.

“You act as if you are the only one.”

Sighing, you said, “I know I am not the only one. But, can you not be sympathetic to the fact you have not spoken to me? You were furious when I didn’t speak to you!” It was silent on Castiel’s end. “Cas?”

“Da. I was upset.”

You felt a wave of relief that he was agreeing with you and being empathetic. “Then can we talk about this?” You hesitated before pressing, “In person? I’ll come to Moscow.”

Castiel didn’t say anything for a few moments. “Moscow?”

“I can get a plane ticket to come in a few days.”

Another few moments of silence. “Fine. Yes. I look forward to it.”

You nodded excitedly, trying to hide the relief in your voice, “I will text you the exact time.”

“Good,” Castiel affirmed. “Stay safe, moya malen'kaya lisa.”

You couldn’t help but blurt, “I love you, Castiel.”

It felt like the right time to say it and you hoped he would respond positively.

You could almost hear him smile on the other end of the phone, “Ya khotel by sdelat’ chto-nibud’ dlya vas.” He hung up.

You had no idea what he had said but you felt it was endearing. You hung up the phone and turned back to walk inside to let Darius know it was going to be solved.

…  
Castiel: I would do anything for you.

<> <> <>

Castiel sighed, putting his phone back in his pocket. He turned around and walked back into the alleyway towards where a couple of his boyeviks were keeping watch over Marcello who was restrained and gagged.

Marcello started in immediately with yelling against the cloth gag on his mouth as soon as Castiel came into view.

He waved Marcello off annoyed. “I can’t hear you. And I do not want to hear you.” He turned his gaze to the body on the ground next to his feet. The man was an American drug dealer he had found out that Marcello visited regularly. Marcello’s drug addiction was his downfall in multiple ways.

Castiel moved his eyes back to Marcello and simpered, looking triumphant. He stepped closer to Marcello and ducked down to be at eye level with him. He held a stern gaze with Marcello for a long time, not saying a word.

Sweat was pooling on Marcello’s forehead as he stared back at Castiel. He knew he was in deep shit and his hope of surviving was slim to none. Marcello swallowed sharply against the gag, moving his eyes away.

As soon as he did this, Castiel moved his head to follow Marcello’s line of vision. “English. Such universal language. You understand me. I understand you. To an extent. But… imagine what would have happened if Soviets won the Cold War. All Russian. Everywhere.” Marcello was again watching Castiel intently and Castiel smiled broadly. “Only in perfect world. Am I right?”

He shrugged and patted Marcello’s shoulder halfheartedly.

“Anyway, I know you remember me. Even if you were fucked up that night.” Marcello did not respond and Castiel snapped his fingers in his face. “Answer me. Yes or no?”  
Marcello made a noise that sounded like a confirmation. Castiel smirked and tapped Marcello’s cheek. “Good boy.” He continued, “You threatened, Y/N. And from what I know, it is not first time.” His expression hardened. “And I wish I had known of you sooner. So I would not have witnessed you hurting her.”

Things were silent on Marcello’s end. “But, I did not know of you. And I had to put up with letting you live. Until now.” As brave as Marcello was trying to act, Castiel could see his resolve was starting to wither with that last statement. It was gratifying. “And I had to come to this disgusting country – of which both of us do not come from – to find you. Americans are…. insufferable in general. But it is worth it. As long as you are dead, and she is safe.”

He added the last part with sincerity. He wanted nothing more than to assure that Y/N was not at risk.

Castiel stood up at this point. “I have thought that I would kill you dramatically. Give you chance to fight back. But, I do not owe you the opportunity to fight for your life. I do not know you. No feelings between us.” He pulled a knife from the back of his belt, gingerly playing with the edge of it. The blade ran against the gloves he was wearing, threatening to puncture them. His eyes met Marcello’s again and his gaze was cold.

“Well, there are feelings. Just not ones that make me sympathetic.”

Castiel continued playing with the knife, seeming deep in thought. He finally sighed loudly, “I wish I could dig this into your throat. But, I have agenda.”

In an instant he reached back and pulled out the pistol he had found on the drug dealer and shot Marcello in the head, point blank. He marveled in watching Marcello twitch for a second before falling face forward and ceasing to move, his blood pooling around his head.

Moving his eyes away from the body, Castiel demanded, “Razrezh'te yego svyazyvaniye i yego klyap. Ya khochu, chtoby eto vyglyadet’ kak sdelki narkotikov poshlo ne tak.”

…  
Castiel: Cut his binding and his gag. I want this to look like a drug deal gone wrong.


	15. Chapter 15

You heard someone walking through your bedroom and you turned your head as Darius walked through the sliding glass door onto the balcony where you were reclining, reading a book.

“Afternoon,” you greeted.

He shifted uncomfortably, hands in his slack pockets. You placed your bookmark in the book, assuming he had something to tell you. He never acted like this unless it was something important. “What, Darius?”

“Marcello is dead.”

“What?” you sat up straight in your chair, pulling your sunglasses off to look at Darius clearly.

“Shot. In an alley.”

You couldn’t believe it. “By who?” you stammered.

Darius leaned against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. “Known drug dealer.” This information did not surprise you. “Seems Marcello got one off and killed him as well. And someone else must have killed him. One of the guy’s men or something.”

You were taking all of this information in slowly. Darius’ voice drug you from your thoughts. “You know something about it?”

“What do you mean?” You asked him, furrowing your brows.   
Darius was silent, looking at you expectantly, and you inwardly groaned. When was he going to let it go? “Darius. Come on.”

Darius shrugged, giving you a knowing look. “Is it really that odd of a question to ask? If given the opportunity and time, Andronikov would have beat him into the ground, would he have not?

“That has nothing to do with what happened at the party!”

“Would he not do something like this to protect you?” Darius pressed.

This caught you off guard and you didn’t know how to respond. You were not sure, and you had not thought of him going to an extent like that for you. Someone whom he had been in a relationship with for less than a year. Thinking of him having devotion enough to kill someone who was threatening you, as well as your relationship, was both unsettling and moving.

“Or just in a jealous rage?” Darius continued.

Scoffing, you snapped, “If it was a jealous rage, I don’t think it would have been well planned out. It would have pointed to him immediately.”

Darius took this and ran with it. “So, you think he would plan well?”

“Please do not take my words and twist them,” you snapped, shooting him a glare.

“You’re heading over there right now,” he pointed out. “After you were pissed he wouldn’t talk to you for weeks. And then he goes all Hulk Hogan on Marcello when he sees Marcello lay hands on you. And then Marcello ends up dead. And I’m telling you this. And you don’t seem concerned in the slightest.”

You nodded, “You’re right. I am not concerned in the slightest. Because you’re grasping at straws, yet again, when it comes to Castiel’s intentions and character.”

This observation from you angered Darius. He stepped closer, staring down his nose at you, his voice rising. “I’m telling you to be careful! Marcello did drugs for years! Shit never happened like this!”

Looking straight into his eyes, you replied with an empty tone, “His luck had to run out sometime.” Darius gave a humorless laugh, shaking his head at your reaction. You asked, “How many times are we going to have this fight?”

“Always!” Darius declared, slamming his fist down on the railing. A silence fell between the two of you, as he stared off the balcony at the water, tapping his fingers angrily.

You got up and walked away from the balcony to go back inside. You threw yourself on your bed, staring at the ceiling angrily.  
It took Darius a few minutes before he followed you inside. He approached the side of your bed and peered down at you.

“You need to stop,” you said quietly.

“If he did kill Marcello,” Darius started, and you sighed impatiently. He ignored you. “He is going to be an enemy now if it ever comes out. And where is that going to leave you?”

You said nothing to do this, still staring directly at the ceiling. “Christ, amore,” Darius muttered furiously under his breath before turning and leaving your room, slamming the door behind him.

Turning your head, you looked at your packed suitcase in the corner. You had booked a flight to Moscow two days after you had spoken to Castiel, which happened to be tomorrow evening. You couldn’t wait to be out of the house.

<> <> <>

Sam had met you at Sheremetyevo instead of meeting you at your lay over in Fiumicino in Rome. He had had the driver with him to carry your bag, even though you insisted you could do it yourself.

“Net, Fox. You are tired,” he had brushed you off, giving you a little push towards the direction of the main doors out to the loading zone.

When you had settled into the car he had begun to tell you what you were going to do that night.

“Sounds like a business meeting,” you replied.

“At a circus?” Sam questioned, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

You shook your head, smiling. “No, just how structured it is.”

“Boss is always like that. He likes to plan.” His words immediately made you think of your argument with Darius. You scowled involuntarily, and Sam noticed. He furrowed his brow and asked, “Not happy?”

“It’s not… I’m fine,” you muttered, slouching back in your seat.

“You do not look fine.”

You sighed, “I’m just tired, I guess. It was a long flight.”

Sam studied you for a few more moments before suggesting, “Take small nap.”

It sounded like a good idea to get away from the conversation that was making you think of Darius and it was going to be a long night. “I probably should,” you agreed, adjusting yourself to get comfortable.

<> <> <>

Castiel was not at the house when you arrived. “He still working, I guess,” Sam apologized and then looked at Ivan. “Voz'mite yeye sumki, da?”

“Da ser,” Ivan responded, moving over to pick up your suitcase and purse.

“I –“ you started to say but Sam cut you off.

“Not that argument again, Fox,” he wagged a finger at you before making his way down the hallway. “Yest’ li chto-nibud’ poyest’, Ivan?” he called up the stairs behind him.

“Na tarelku v kholodil'nik, ser.”

“Spasibo,” Sam stated loud enough for him to hear and then waved you down. “Come. Eat. Not a lot though. Cas will be mad if you do not eat with him.”

Sam got something for you to eat and you shared it on a patio in the back yard. He was good at making small talk and easy to have a conversation with. You were slightly put off by the fact that Castiel had not been there to meet you, but Sam was doing a good job keeping you occupied with stories over the course of an hour.

“A cat?” you asked, a big smile on your face.

He nodded, chuckling. “Da. It came out of locker and Dean screamed like little girl.”

“I’m sure he loves you telling that story,” you commented. You brought your glass to your lips and finished off the water.

“Hates it,” Sam corrected, and you smirked.

You heard a door slam from inside the house and turned to look back into the house. You heard voices and recognized them both as Cas and Dean.

“What is English phrase for being a – uh – good late?” Sam asked, catching your attention again.

You had to think for a moment before you tried, “Fashionably?”

Sam snapped his fingers pointing at you. “Da. Fashionably late. That is Cas.”

“I’m sure,” you grinned.

“Vy sdelali eto sdelat,” Castiel’s voice came from behind you as he walked out onto the patio. You looked up at him but his attention was centered at Sam. “Ya ne poluchil zvonok o nem, kak ya prosil.”

“K sozhaleniyu, my govorili. Ya perepisyvalis’ vas,” Sam responded.

“Eto ne vyzov.” Castiel’s tone was tight.

“Prosti.”

Castiel said nothing, staring at Sam for a few seconds before turning his attention to you. He shook the annoyance off quickly. He leaned down giving you a kiss on your cheek. “I must change. Come. You will get ready with me. We have to leave soon.”

“Um, alright,” you replied slowly, shooting a look across the table at Sam. He seemed uneasy. “Thank you for keeping me company. And getting me something to eat.”

“Da. Kazhetsya, vy mozhete sledit’ za neskol'ko zakazov,” Castiel commented to Sam, holding a hand out for you as you got up from the table.

It was Sam’s turn to say nothing to this and you took off, leaving the awkward situation behind. Castiel was obviously not pleased with Sam and you didn’t know why.

…  
Sam: Take her bags, yeah?  
Ivan: Yes, sir.  
Sam: Is there something to eat, Ivan?  
Ivan: On a plate in the fridge, sir.  
Sam: Thank you.  
Castiel: You did make it. I didn’t receive a call about it like I asked.  
Sam: Sorry, we were talking. I texted you.  
Castiel: That is not a call.  
Sam: I’m sorry.  
Castiel: Yes. It seems you can follow some orders.

<> <> <>

As soon as Y/N left the patio, Castiel stepped closer to Sam, making sure to still speak in Russian in case Y/N could still hear. “I told you to call me.”

“I know – “

“Well, you still didn’t do it! How does it make me look when she shows up and I am not here! I would have finished up sooner had I known she had landed!”

“You knew how long the flight was,” Sam argued and Castiel looked murderous. Sam put his hands up. “Right. Sorry. I should have called. There could have been a delay – “

“Whatever. She’s here. You hosted fine. But, in the future, when I ask you specifically to do something, you do it. Yeah?”

“Yes, boss.”

Castiel studied him for a few moments before reaching into his pocket and pulled out a large wad of bills out of his pocket. “Your part of Petrov’s payment. Don’t piss me off for the rest of the night.” He turned and left Dean and Sam on the patio.

Sam looked over at Dean and asked, “How bad was it?”

Dean shrugged and stated, “Petrov was not in an agreeable mood to keep his part of the bargain. You know Cas doesn’t like when people back out on deals.”

Nodding, Sam sighed, “Yep. That explains his attitude.” He shoved the bills in his pocket and turned on his heel to walk into the house.

<> <> <>

You were leaning on Castiel’s shoulder in the car as him, Dean, and Sam discussed something excitedly in Russian. Castiel’s arm was around you, holding you close.

Castiel had been doting on you all night, more so than usual. Sam and Dean had also tagged along, actually joining rather than watching from afar to make sure Castiel was safe.

After the circus and visiting Red Square, Castiel had brought you to a boat on the Volga to have dinner. The food had been filling and the champagne even more so. Castiel had seemed to forget his annoyance with Sam quickly as the champagne had started to flow.

You were honestly getting tired as you pulled up to his house. It was barely midnight, but the jet lag was getting to you.

Halfway through your night, you had received a text from Darius. You had tried to keep it curt, not wanting to be rude to Castiel and have a long conversation on your phone. Which had been somewhat difficult because Darius had had a lot to say to you. He had informed you of the funeral date and had mentioned a few other things, along with an expected sorry. You were frankly getting tired of him having to apologize about freaking out about you seeing Castiel.

The car came to a stop and you were jarred from your thoughts.

Castiel walked with you into the house and pointed at Sam and Dean to go sleep in some of the guest rooms. They had had more to drink than you and Castiel and he did not seem to want them to leave.

Surprisingly, Castiel did not seem to be in the mood to have sex. When you pulled your dress down and approached him, he had stopped you with his hand. He merely pulled back the covers on the bed and told you to sleep.

You hesitated, and he came close again to give you a kiss on your forehead. “Tomorrow. You had long day.”

Reluctantly, you did as he asked, crawling into bed. Still sitting up, you murmured, “You are sweet.” You pulled him to you, into a deep kiss. If he was not going to sleep with you, you were at least going to get a kiss.

“And you taste sweet. Now sleep, moya malen'kaya lisa,” he muttered against your lips before pulling away and turning towards the door.

“Are you not coming?” you asked confused as he walked to the door.

“I need water,” Castiel responded before walking out of the bedroom.

It seemed like a reasonable response and you laid down, snuggling into the blankets.

<> <> <>

Castiel waited a good twenty minutes before he ascended back up the stairs to his bedroom. He pushed the door open quietly and walked softly over to the side of the bed where Y/N was sleeping. He picked up her cell from the bed side table and made his way quietly back out of the room. He wasn’t going to go into the bathroom or stay in the room where she could wake up and find him easily.

Walking back downstairs, he went into the kitchen where his glass of scotch was waiting, still half full on the counter.

He had watched her earlier multiple times as she had put her password into her phone and had gotten it down. His observation skills were nothing to laugh about.

During dinner, he had noticed her nonchalantly texting and it was bugging him to know who she was texting. After knowing she had a bad track record of ex boyfriends, he was curious, and it ate away at him.

Navigating to her messages, he scowled seeing Darius was at the top. She had not received a text message from Angelica since hours before, but Darius was the most recent. And would have been during dinner.

He was grateful to see the conversation was in English and not Italian. He scrolled back up to the first text message that day and began reading.

Castiel was growing angrier the further he got into the conversation. Darius’ hate for Dean obviously extended to him and it infuriated him that Darius was trying to turn Y/N against him. She did not seem to be persuaded but he was furious nonetheless.

When he got to the bottom, he put her phone down on the counter before picking up his glass and finishing it off.  
Castiel was annoyed knowing that little worm’s funeral was soon. It made his stomach twist thinking about her attending the funeral, even if she had to because he was a part of Matteo’s family.

And he knew Darius was a thorn in his side from the beginning, but this only made his desire to get Y/N to live with him stronger seeing it firsthand. Especially since he got the hint Darius was suspicious of Marcello’s death. Castiel needed to play his hand delicately, knowing Y/N still had a strong relationship with Darius.

She was staying for a couple more days, enough time for him to plant the seed and really persuade her before she left again though.

And he still had to confront her about the baby. His anger flared when that came to mind. It had taken everything in him to not blurt it as soon as his eyes had landed on her. Instead, he had given her a kiss and smiled. Pretended everything was normal and treated her like a princess. And she had clung to him all night, making his week and a half of ignoring her seem more than worth it.

He could not help his deep feelings of attachment despite his hurt.

No, he had to be careful. He did not want to lose his temper and mess everything up. Not when he believed he was close to getting what he wanted.

<> <> <>

**Text conversation:**

D: Are you alright?  
Y/N: Of course I am.  
D: You don’t have to be angry with me. I am just worried about you being away from home.  
D: I just wanted to tell you that Marcello’s funeral is going to be in a few days. Here at home. The whole family is coming.  
Y/N: I will be back by then.  
D: Good. I do not want to go alone.  
Y/N: You wouldn’t be alone.  
D: You know what I mean.  
D: I am sorry for upsetting you.  
Y/N: Apology accepted.  
D: That’s it?  
Y/N: What else should there be?  
D: I said I am sorry for upsetting you. But I am not sorry about what I said. I am only trying to look out for you. And I know I sound like a broken record. But that family is not safe. Him especially.  
Y/N: You do sound like a broken record.  
D: Sometimes you have to be to get something through somebody’s head. I just don’t want it to be too late when it does. Especially with this last shit that has gone down. It’s too suspicious to me.  
D: Y/N?  
Y/N: We’ll talk when I get home. I’m at dinner. Night.  
D: Fine. Night.


	16. Chapter 16

You awoke to Castiel tracing his hands along your body.

Blinking awake, you smiled sleepily, trying, “Sam and Dean might hear?” You rubbed your eyes, trying to wipe away the sleep from your eyes.

He looked pleased seeing that you were awake. “As if they didn’t the first time,” Castiel muttered, pushing you down to climb on top of you.

His lips trailed up your neck, kissing along your jaw and ended at your mouth. He pushed your hands above your head, curling his fingers up in yours. You breathed heavily against him. You were glad he had found his libido again. You had been worried last night you had done something wrong.

“I missed you,” he said quietly, lightly placing kisses on your lips. Before you could respond, he pressed his lips to yours again, pushing his tongue past yours. His tongue swirled around your mouth, pulling you into a deep kiss.

Moving down, he pulled your underwear off you in one fell swoop before he paused. “What is that?” he asked quietly.

You were confused for a moment before you realized he was talking about your bandage on your leg. You gritted your teeth and he stared at you, wanting an answer. “I got hurt.”

“When?”

“A few weeks ago.”

“By who?”

He had gotten you worked up to have sex and now he was stalling. You didn’t want to get into details now. You shrugged, “A random drunk.” Castiel studied you, not seeming to believe you. You tried again, “I was in Albania with a few friends. I went down an alley I probably shouldn’t have by myself.”

Castiel reached out gently and touched it, tracing his fingers. “I hope you dealt with him,” he finally said.

“I did.”

His eyes met yours again and he whispered, “I will be gentle then.”

You shook your head and said, “You don’t have to be.”

This seemed to amuse him. “Always asking for it the hard way,” he commented. You smirked in response. But you couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed to be speaking in a double entendre. You forced the thought away as he leaned back down, determined to not ruin the moment.

Positioning himself against your entrance. Castiel pressed in, a groan escaping his lips. He didn’t waste a second before pulling out and slamming himself back in. You grasped his arms as he kept a fast and rough pace.

Eventually, he slowed down, moving slowly, stimulating you directly. He kept alternating, doing most of the work and you laid back an enjoyed it, letting small praises escape your lips.

It seemed quick before you felt yourself slipping under and you tightened around him. He pushed you through your orgasm before letting go himself. He stilled for a second before rolling from you. He laid next to you breathing heavily.

“Am I making breakfast?” you joked after a few moments and he gave a little laugh.

“That is Valeria’s job,” he responded. “And she should be done soon. It is almost 8.”

<> <> <>

On the last evening before you left in the morning, Castiel had you on the deck of a restaurant. It was private, he had rented out the deck to himself.

For the last day and a half, he had continued treating you as he had the first night, doting on you endlessly. He brought to you to many Russian sights, continuously reminding you that he was happy he was with you. It had been sweet.

But tonight was different. He had seemed to be on edge all night and you had tried to ignore it, brushing it off as him being upset that you were leaving. But he was telling you about the last man he had beat over some cash and you were a little confused. He barely spoke about his work to you in that detailed of manner.

“What’s going on?” you asked when he finished.

Castiel looked at you and inquired, “What do you mean?”

Shrugging, you said, “You just have never told me something like that before.”

He studied you for a few seconds, seeming stuck on what he wanted to say. He finally cleared his throat. “I don’t want to keep any secrets from you.”

You nodded at this, still confused at his behavior.

“Okay,” you gave him a small smile. You looked back down at your plate, bringing another forkful of food up to your mouth. You noticed almost out of your sight that he had stopped eating and was staring out of the window.

Swallowing the mouthful, you placed your fork down. “Castiel?”

“Ja znayu,” Castiel said in a quiet voice, still staring out the window. His fingers trained on his dinner knife by his plate and you tensed.

Something about his tone was sending warning signs up your spine, regardless if you understand what he had said or not.

“What?”

“I know,” he stated, moving his gaze to you. It was full of hatred, a complete one eighty compared to a few minutes before. You furrowed your brow, trying to figure out the situation. He noticed your expression, his hand leaving his knife, and he gave a humorless laugh. “Do not act coy, Y/N.”

You were still not catching on. You laughed nervously and explained, “I don’t know what you are trying to get at, Castiel.”

His expression was cold. “I know about the baby.”

You stilled, stuck to your seat. The breath had left your lungs. He knew. And immediately you knew he had lied about not knowing about you getting stabbed. You felt stupid for believing for a second that Chuck had not come through for him.

Castiel pressed on, ignoring your stunned expression. He had probably expected it. And honestly, you believed he wanted this reaction from you. “You think I would not find out?” He questioned, cocking his head to the side, examining you. He scoffed before looking out the window again. “Were you planning on not telling me?”

Quickly trying to regain some control of the situation, you cleared your throat, sitting up straight. “I didn’t think you would care,” you said in a low voice. “Plus, aren’t you forbidden to have children according to your code? Or because you are the boss, can you just bend the rules to do whatever you please?”

He looked furious at this back talk and inwardly, you were satisfied. You were pissed he had toyed with you for so long.

“You cannot make decisions on your own.”

“Well, I did.” Castiel gritted his teeth, staring you down.

You were not ready to relent. “Why were you playing dumb?”

“I was seeing if you would be honest with me on your own. I was proven wrong.”

Throwing your hands out slightly, you admitted, “Well, like I said, I felt it was against your whole thing. And I thought it would cause more problems than it would solve to involve you in it.”

Snorting, Castiel shook his head. “Lies.”

“What?” you stammered.

“You just did not want child with me,” Castiel spat. “It was mine. And you were too coward to bring it up. I had to find out through someone else that the woman I am with got rid of our baby without telling me. I wanted to… I thought bad things when I found out. I am glad you were not in front of me then.” You swallowed sharply hearing this. He shook his head and then added, “And I gave you time to come forward. You did not. You are irresponsible. A child yourself.”

This cut deep. “That’s not – “ you tried to explain but he interjected,

“You can make it up to me.”

Training your eyes on him, you studied him intently. What was he going on about? Why the sudden change in attitude?

Taking the bait against your better judgment, you inquired, “What?”

“I miss you too much when you are not here.”

You let out a small breath, sounding defeated, realizing what he was getting at. “Castiel, I have to be away. I am living two lives here. One here with you and one back home. This is difficult for me! And you’re acting as if I am the problem here!”

His eyes slowly moved back up to you, his expression threatening. You couldn’t help but feel intimidated and he had never made you feel this way. Everything Darius had ever said to you was rushing to you in that moment and all you wanted to do was forget it.

You decided to tread more carefully and compromise. “I can visit you regularly – “

“Net!” Castiel shouted at you, finally losing his temper, slamming his fist down onto the table. You jumped back into the seat away from him, your eyes trained, waiting for him to attack. He pointed at you threatingly. “I have given you everything! And you betrayed me! You betrayed my trust! If you were anyone else, you would be dead!” His words cut through you. And the next ones did a lot of damage. “If you really loved me, you would do as I ask!”

Apparently, the Russian mafia was no different with their girlfriends and wives than the Italian mafia. You should not have been surprised but you were. Taken aback that he was treating you as if he owned you. You were not going to tolerate this emotionally manipulative behavior.

“You cannot expect me to stop working for Matteo. I cannot leave Italy! It is a death sentence to turn your back on a family and you know that!”

Castiel ran his hand through his hair, looking pissed off. “Then do not stop working for him!” He snarled. “Continue doing your job. But I want you with me!”

“As if me moving to Moscow isn’t going to be obvious!”

“Figure it out,” Castiel spat.

“You’re being ridiculous!”

“ME?” he roared across the table at you and you leaned away from him quickly. He had never risen his voice like that to you. He closed his eyes, his jaw clenched. You stayed still, watching him closely.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes again. He shot you a look across the table and said in a tense voice, “I have been patient with you. I have ignored your affiliation with someone who has problems with my family. I have…” He trailed off, his voice shaking as he tried to contain his anger. He exhaled deeply before scooting his chair away from the table noisily standing up. “You have played with my emotions and you are showing ‘your true colors’, Y/N, as that English saying goes.” You opened your mouth to protest, astonished he was turning this around on you. He cut you off, his voice quiet but firm, “I love you and obviously you do not love me the same.”

Gaping, you looked up at him taken aback. Tears were threatening to overflow, your emotions from the last few minutes rushing at you at once, especially hearing him dash your feelings for him as if you thought of him as nothing.

He stared down his nose at you, stating, “I love you. I would do anything for you. I want to be with you. I can forgive you. I hope you remember that.” He exhaled and continued, “My offer stands. Move here and keep doing side business for Matteo. I won’t let you get involved with my work. I promise. Or… we are done.” Nothing was coming to you to say. He looked away from you and added, “There is a car waiting for you downstairs with your stuff to take you to airport. I booked you a flight.”

Castiel leaned down, and you tensed not knowing what to expect. But he merely gave you a light kiss on your forehead. “Think on it, moya malen'kaya lisa.”

With that, he brushed past you, leaving you alone on the deck. A strangled gasp escaped your lips. This was not how you expected your night to go or end.


	17. Chapter 17

You were floating around the pool, just trying to drift off mentally. A shadow flashed over your eyes and you opened them, seeing Darius standing by the pool. He was wearing a suit, which means he had been at a meeting. He motioned for you to come over to the side of the pool.

You sighed, reluctantly sinking and swimming over to the side.

The first day back, you had stayed in your room all day, moping around. You were still a bit shell shocked at Castiel’s proposal and doubled with being tired, you were spent. And not in a good way.

“What’s going on?” Darius asked, as you folded your arms on the edge of the pool, hanging out there, your head resting on your arms.

“I’m swimming.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Pretty uneventful swimming.” His eyes ran over you and he observed, “First time you’ve been out of your room since you got back.”

“I’m tired.”

“And looking pretty upset.”

You rose your gaze to meet his. “When am I not?”

He crouched down and took his sunglasses off, looking you directly in the eyes. He was quiet for a few moments and then exhaled, “Come on. Get out of the pool.”

“I’m comfortable,” you mumbled.

“Y/N.” His tone was firm.

Groaning you pushed away from the edge and went towards the ladder to get out of the pool. You walked over to the chair where you had laid out your towel and reclined. Darius approached the chair beside you and sat down, facing you.

“What’s going on?” he repeated.

“Castiel.”

“Well, I figured that.” You shot him a look of annoyance and he shrugged, “Sorry. I had a hunch. What happened, amore?”

You figured it was better to just talk to him and you wanted to talk about it to someone. And Darius was your best bet. “An ultimatum.”

“What?” Darius questioned.

“Um, like do this by this date or it’s over. People do it in relationships when they are sick of something and want something done or else they are tired of wasting their time.”

“Yeah, I know what the word means, Y/N.” You opened your mouth to apologize but he pressed, “How do you mean though?”

You shrugged, looking away from him. “He wants what you said he wanted from the beginning.”

“Which is?” Darius pressed.

Hesitating, you shrugged again. It was painful for you to admit that Darius had been right the whole time. “Me. In Moscow.”

Darius’ expression darkened immediately. “What did you say?”

“He didn’t give me a chance. He left me at the table and had a car ready for me.”

Darius snorted loudly and ran his hand through his hair. “Jesus. Dramatic.” He paused and asked, “So, you left?”

“Obviously.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“No.”

“How do you feel?”

You sucked your teeth for a second, hesitating on answering honestly because you knew that he was going to judge you. “I love him,” you admitted. Darius looked gob smacked at you saying this. You tried to ignore it. “I don’t want it to end.”

“He’s trying to tear you from your family.” Darius sounded furious.

“He doesn’t want me to stop working for Matteo. He just wants me to live in Moscow.”

“And do his dirty work,” Darius snapped.

You huffed, “He told me he doesn’t want me involved in his work!”

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Darius retorted and then added, “He knows how good you are.”

“I wouldn’t betray Matteo,” you snapped back at him. “And since he told me he doesn’t want me to do that, I’m…. I don’t know.”

Darius studied you. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” you said quietly.

“Matteo may not see it the same as you. He is another mob family.”

“He doesn’t have to know. I can just say I like Moscow.”

“I cannot let you do this,” Darius stated firmly. You looked at him shocked. He shook his head, noticing your expression. “It is too much of a risk.”

“He won’t hurt me.”

“He already has. Forcing you to choose.”

You laid your head back on the chair, neglecting to respond to him. You agreed with him in a sense, but you didn’t in another. You felt Castiel was just hurting because he wanted you with him and he knew you wanted the same.

“You know my feelings on it,” Darius finally said, interrupting the silence. “And I hope you take that into account when you decide.” You said nothing and after a few minutes he got up from his spot and leaned over your chair. He ran his hand over your hair and said quietly. “I don’t want you to leave. You have only been with him for 8 months. If anything, let it go on longer and think about how he has treated you as of late.”

Again, you said nothing. Darius let his hand fall. “He may love you, amore, but is it worth it?”

You were torn. Every fiber of your being wanted Castiel, but you also knew choosing what he requested was a risk.

<> <> <>

You had not spoken to Castiel for a week and he had not tried to contact you. You hoped it was hurting him as much as it was hurting you that the two of you were not talking.

Darius’ words had stuck with you and you were taking them into consideration. You hated feeling so torn over this.

Matteo, you had learned, had left early in the morning to go to the middle of Palermo to meet with someone and had left you and Darius behind. Lucia had told you that he was trying to train a couple of new recruits and that the meeting was lowkey.

“Chi è?”

“Russi,” Lucia responded, and your blood ran cold. You must have hidden it well because she didn’t notice you were caught off guard. “Hanno bisogno di alcune pistole per il loro commercio. Non abbiamo fatto un sacco di affari con quella parte ma potrebbe essere utile. Essi sono disposti a pagare un sacco di soldi.”

“Interesting,” you forced out, trying to be calm. “Where are they meeting?”

Lucia smirked at you and asked, “Y/N, he will be fine. But, they are meeting in Piazza Vigliena.”

“Right. Well, I might take Darius down there with me just to make sure that the new ones are doing a decent job.”  
She shook her head, laughing slightly. “Alright. You should give up some control sometimes, Y/N.”

“I’ll take note of that.”

You left the room quickly and found Darius sitting in the foyer, flirting with one of the girls who had come up with Elia. You grabbed his arm, interrupting their conversation, and said, “I need to talk to you.”

…  
Y/N: Who is it?  
Lucia: Russian. They need some guns for their trade. We haven’t done a lot of business with that part but it could be beneficial. They are willing to pay a lot of money.

<> <> <>

Darius had left the girl quickly as soon as you had given him a quick overview of what was happening. You two had left the house and got into his car to go downtown. The whole way down there, you were wringing your hands, worried that it was Castiel. If he made a deal with Matteo, it would make your decision to not move seem that much more absurd to him considering he had a good relationship standing with Matteo.

Of course, Darius had the same idea and you knew he did not want you to leave him.

The two of you moved in on the popular tourist attraction, moving hesitantly, not wanting to draw attention to yourself and catch Matteo’s attention. And especially not Castiel’s, if it was him.

You scanned the crowd and your eyes landed on Matteo at a table by the fountain. And you choked slightly, seeing the familiar silhouette.

It was Castiel.

Immediately, you retracted, bumping into Darius. He must have seen what you did because his hand reached out and grasped your arm, steadying you. It was terrible timing because Dean turned his head, looking around the people around them and his eyes traveled upwards.

He noticed you at the top of the stairs, although he seemed more interested in smirking smugly at Darius, who had stiffened behind you.

“Come on,” Darius muttered to you, grabbing you around the waist and pulling you away from the railing.

Castiel had not seen you but you were sure Dean would tell him that you had been there.

You turned around and were immediately met with a chest. You felt Darius’ hand leave your arm quickly and moved to what you assumed was the gun at his hip. You moved your eyes up quickly, meeting eyes you recognized.

His hazel eyes twinkled. “Fox,” Sam acknowledged you, looking you up and down.

“Non parlare con lui,” Darius ordered you.

“Non essere uno stronzo,” you answered curtly.

“Fox, English. Don’t be rude,” Sam tsked you, shaking his finger. You almost laughed at the irony of him repeating what you had just ordered Darius to not do.

“Let me guess. Dean’s brother,” Darius practically spat at Sam.

A smile appeared on Sam’s face and he shrugged, “I like people to call me by my name. But okay.”

“Which is?” Darius sneered.

“Sam,” you answered before Sam could. Sam smirked at this and Darius exhaled sharply.

“Boss is waiting,” Sam stated airily and then his eyes landed on you. “For both of us.”

Darius tensed by you and Sam simpered, before walking around you and leaving the pair of you.

“I will kill him,” Darius said under his breath.

You sighed, “He did not do anything.”

“I’m not talking about him!” Darius snapped and then glowered at you. “How can you defend him anyway? He is taunting you.”

“He is loyal to his boss. Just like you and I are.”

“You need to put your feelings aside and see how Andronikov is trying to manipulate you!”

You stopped him and stared up at him. “Do not kill him.” Darius clenched his jaw, looking at you astounded. You sounded desperate, “Please.”

There were a few moments of tense silence. Darius shook his head. “What did he do to you? He’s tearing you apart,” Darius sighed exasperated, before turning on his heel and walking off towards the car.

…  
Darius: Don’t talk to him.  
Y/N: Don’t be rude.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Matteo nodded at Castiel across the table and said, “I will contact you with further arrangements.”

“That is good,” Castiel responded.

Pulling a cigar out of his pocket, Matteo clipped the end, before standing up. “You have good time here before you leave. It is beautiful city.” Castiel nodded in polite acknowledgment. Matteo pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit up his cigar. “Good day, Andronikov.”

“Thank you. Goodbye.”

As soon as Matteo left, Castiel leaned back in his chair, relaxing immediately. He reached out, grabbing his drink from the table and brought it to his lips, taking a sip.

Dean leaned over. “Vy propustili yeye,” he commented quietly into Castiel’s ear.

Castiel remained relaxed despite hearing that. “Gde?”

“Na balkone. S Tehrani. On potyanul yeye proch’ dovol'no bystro.” Castiel was unable to hide an annoyed expression at this, taking another long drink.

Dean commented nonchalantly, “Tehrani nenavidit vas.”

“Vy dumayete, ya ne znayu, chto?” Castiel sneered at him. Dean shrugged and Castiel placed his drink back on the table. “Kak ona vyglyadit?”

“Worried. Shocked,” Dean responded.

A shadow passed over them and they both looked up as Sam rounded the table and sat down across from them in the chair Matteo had just occupied minutes before. “Perimetr byl shtraf,” Sam announced. Castiel rose his eyebrows and mockingly gestured at himself, meaning he was still alive, so obviously.

Sam ignored it and looked at Dean. “Tehrani has an attitude. You made him hate me and he doesn’t even know me.”

“He’s an asshole,” Dean stated as Castiel asked, “What do you mean?”

Sam’s attention turned to Castiel. “He does not like me talking to Y/N. I can tell you that.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing, really. Like I said, Tehrani doesn’t like me talking to her. He took over the conversation and then I thought it was better to walk off.”

Castiel looked contemplative at this, lost in his thoughts.

“They were not the ones watching Matteo originally,” Dean noted, dragging Castiel from his thoughts.

“No,” Sam agreed. “They just showed up. I think the only weapon they had on them was a gun at Tehrani’s hip. Not very prepared.”

Sam turned his attention to Castiel quickly, “How did it go, boss?”

“We have struck a deal,” Castiel informed him and Sam smirked broadly at this. “It will help us out a lot against Nikoli and Alexei.”

“And with Y/N’s decision-making process,” Sam commented, snapping his fingers impatiently. He was smiling at Dean, who smirked but then he noticed Castiel’s expression. His smile was wiped from his face immediately and he cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

Castiel finished off his drink and opined, “She is not stupid. She will decide quickly. She is just weighing her options.”

He paused and rose his eyebrows, admitting, “And I have tipped them in my favor.”

…  
Dean: You missed her.  
Castiel: Where?  
Dean: On the balcony. With Tehrani. He pulled her away quite quickly.  
Dean: Tehrani hates you.  
Castiel: You think I don’t know that?  
Castiel: How did she look?  
Sam: Perimeter was fine.

<> <> <>

“He is trying to intimidate you! He’s flexing his muscles!” Darius hissed at you as you two made your way towards Matteo’s office in his home.

As soon as you two had left you had made sure to follow Matteo home, at a distance of course. Darius wanted to speak to him immediately. The obvious point being that him and Dean had a murky past. He was not going to bring up Castiel, he had promised you. It was your best bet that Darius’ argument made an impact on Matteo. No matter your feelings for Castiel, you wanted to keep your life with him and your life at work separate. It made things easier. And he had promised that he would keep you out of his business. This seemed to be going against it.

“You don’t have to tell me that.”

“Apparently I do! Because you are still bending at his feet, begging for me to not hurt him!”

“Have you ever been in love?” you hissed at him, stopping.

Darius stopped in his tracks and retreated to you, staring you down. He shook his head angrily. “Have I ever been in love? Of course!”

“Then you should be able to understand!”

“I do understand! And that’s why I know you are being… Divoonei!”

He slipped into Farsi and you rolled your eyes, annoyed at your inept grasp of the language. “What does that even mean!?”

“CRAZY!” Darius exclaimed to you before turning to complete the last hundred or so steps into Matteo’s office.

Darius stopped before the door where a couple of guards were standing. “Avete intenzione di spostare o cosa?” The two guards looked at him, exchanged a look, and then moved aside. “Grazie!”

Pushing the door open, Darius stepped inside, and you followed quickly.

Matteo was sitting at his desk and looked up at the two of you entering. “Buon pomeriggio,” he greeted lazily, tapping his cigar off in the ash tray before bringing it back to his lips.

You held in a cough at the smoke in the room, breathing shallowly.

Darius stood in front of the desk and Matteo raised his eyes to him again. He gestured at the seat and Darius sat down quickly. Even in his rage, Darius still remembered manners and respect for his boss.

“Lei ha il giorno libero, Darius,” Matteo noted. “È importante?”

“Sì.”

Matteo studied him for a moment before turning his attention to you by the door. “Good job in Rome on Monday, Y/N,” he praised you. You nodded in thanks. It had been an easy in and out assignment that you had felt comfortable performing even in your distracted state. But, praise from Matteo was always welcome. You noted that he was in no hurry to address a problem with Darius though. Probably still trying to sober up from his meeting and drinks with Castiel.

Looking back at Darius, who was looking close to bursting out of his seat, Matteo inquired, “What is it, Darius?”

Darius sat forward and said, “I don’t mean to be spying on you, Matteo. I know I had the day off. But…. I was curious as to whether or not the new recruits were going to protect you.” He was good at lying and simultaneously removing you from guilt of dragging him along to the place. He never failed to amaze you.

Matteo grunted in acknowledgement. Darius continued, “But I was… shocked… to see who you were meeting.”

A small grin appeared on Matteo’s face. He wagged his cigar at Darius and admitted, “Which is one of the reasons I did not bring you along.” You noticed a slight tension in Darius’ expression. “I know you have a troubled relationship with Andronikov’s cousin. But, you need to remember that he is not Andronikov.” He leaned back in his chair, taking a puff of his cigar. Exhaling he continued, “Andronikov has money. And he has a business I feel I could support. I dabble in it myself.”

Racketeering. Many forms of it.

Matteo leaned forward, placing his cigar in the tray. He stared at Darius across the desk and after a few moments of tense observation, he responded quietly, “You are one of my top people, Darius. I understand your frustration. And I respect it. And I can understand why you are here, trying to persuade me to not do it.” His expression darkened, and his tone lowered. “But do not for a second think I am not taking the highest sense of skepticism to approach this. I would not put my whole family at risk simply for a new business venture. I am looking at this from every angle and I will back out at any sign of deceitful behavior.”

Darius said nothing, and Matteo pressed, “Do you understand me?”

Clenching his jaw, Darius shot a look at you. You tried to not look upset at Matteo’s response. You had hoped he would take Darius’ words and worries to heart. But, it did not seem to be going that way.

Moving his gaze back to Matteo, Darius nodded stiffly. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now go and enjoy your day off. Stop worrying about it.”

…  
Darius: Are you going to move or what?  
Darius: Thank you!  
Matteo: Good afternoon.  
Matteo: You have the day off, Darius. Is this important?  
Darius: Yes.

<> <> <>

You picked up your cell phone and got off your bed. The Netflix app was still open on your TV and Darius was snoring next to you. He had hung out with you all night after his disappointing talk to Matteo, sipping on wine before it overcame him and he finally got tired enough to pass out.

Padding quietly over to balcony – that the door was thankfully already open to, a slight breeze coming in – you pushed past the curtains and stood on the deck.  
Gritting your teeth, you thought about your decision before pushing forward. Thinking about it too long, you were going to lose your nerve.

“You need to stop,” you sent. Your stomach instantly clenched up, watching the ‘delivered’ sign appear on your phone. You hoped he wasn’t in a bad mood or too drunk.


	19. Chapter 19

Castiel’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at it. His expression immediately hardened seeing the banner on his phone. It was from her but not what he expected her to say.

You need to stop.

He rubbed at his mouth furiously, staring at his phone. He decided to by step her request.

Where are you? Have you eaten?

Placing his phone face down on the table, he reached out, grabbing his glass of wine. Dean, Sam, and two other boyeviks, Vadim and Gavriil, were deep in a conversation about politics around the table to notice his moment of annoyance at reading her text.

Where was she getting off? He thought furiously.

It infuriated him thinking of Tehrani pulling her away from him earlier. He had tried to quell his annoyance with the conversation he had read between the two of them. Tehrani was close to her and given circumstance, Tehrani was not going to be receptive to him. But, he had thought that Y/N was more attached to him than she was acting. And he couldn’t help but to blame the fact he knew Tehrani was whispering in her ear all the time. Giving her doubts. He took a long drink of his wine, fuming.

His phone buzzed again, and he picked it up quickly.

I am home. I had a light dinner. It’s 9pm. Don’t ignore me. What are you trying to do?

Perfect opportunity to see her.

Come have dessert with me and I will tell you.

<> <> <>

Where are you? Have you eaten?

You scoffed reading the text. So, he was going to ignore your request and try to swoon you. You furiously typed back and almost pressed send before hesitating. You didn’t want to be rash and sending what you had just sent was a spur of the moment anger.

Exhaling deeply, you erased what you had wrote and stared at your phone. You needed to be more delicate with this. You didn’t want to piss him off and start a series of fights. Your pride was strong but your want for a relationship with him was stronger than your pride. You just needed a few moments to tell yourself that instead of going off on him.

You texted him back, answering his questions but also pivoting back to your original question.

It took a few moments for him to text back. Your eyes scanned the message and you sighed loudly. He was not going to relent. He was used to being in charge and it bled over into his relationships, especially with yours.  
But that’s one of things you had found alluring about him to begin with, so you shouldn’t be annoyed that he was staying true to that.

As controlling and independent as you were, you liked him coddling you. Finding someone who would take you head on was a good thing. Most people were timid around you and felt threatened. He didn’t.

You wanted to go to the restaurant because you wanted to see him, but you also didn’t want to further complicate the situation by insinuating that you were considering moving to Moscow. Because you were not… kind of. You were still on the fence secretly, something you didn’t discuss with Darius.

On the other hand, if you denied his request, you knew he would be annoyed and be combative. Possibly cut you off permanently. You reflected over Darius’ words of manipulation. You yourself had told yourself you were not going to be emotionally manipulated by him.

You were still so unsure though.

Where? I will come for a few minutes. I have to get back here.

<> <> <>

She was taking a long time to respond. Castiel waved down the waiter and held up his glass. The waiter acknowledged with a nod and went off to go grab the bottle again.

“Yeshche odna butylka?” Castiel directed at the other men at the table.

“Ya ne za rulem v lyubom meste,” Gavriil joked, leaning back in his chair and the others chuckled at this.

The waiter came back to the table with the wine they had been drinking before. He waved the waiter off, who looked confused, and said, “A bottle of the ‘05 Nero d’ Avola. And a bar table? For two.”

The other men at the table narrowed their eyes at him and he ignored them.

“Yes, sir. I could arrange that for you.”

Castiel smiled, “Perfect. Oh, and dessert menu and a bottle of ‘05 Sicilia Rosso for bar table.”

The waiter nodded, “I will get the wine and set up table for you.”

“Grazie,” Castiel responded and the waiter disappeared.  
Turning his attention back to the table, he noticed them all still looking at him, waiting for an explanation.

“Already?” Sam questioned, looking amused, and Castiel knew he knew exactly what was going on.

With a shrug, Castiel stated, “I told you. I was working quickly.” He looked back down at his phone and saw she had responded. His lips curled into a smile and he wrote a response quickly.

Osteria Ballarò. You know it?

“Who are you meeting?” Vadim asked.

Castiel rose his eyes to meet him, looking piqued that Vadim was being intrusive.

Dean cut in quickly, “Boss obviously needs to relieve some tension. And what better way than with an Italian?”

Sam played along as well, “I hear they are good.” He raised his glass slightly to Castiel, a playful smirk on his face. He brought the glass to his lips, downing it.

He almost chuckled at their apt response to covering his privacy. Although he did not want Vadim or Gavriil to spot Y/N and think for a second she was a prostitute.

His phone buzzed again.

Yes. I’ll be there in 20.

…  
Castiel: Another bottle?

<> <> <>

“Buonasera signorina. Come posso aiutarti?” The hostess greeted you, his smile wide.

“Mi incontro qualcuno,” you replied simply. You were trying to keep the edge out of your voice. It was not his fault you were in a rotten mood.

“Nome?”

You paused. You did not know if he was using his real name to make reservations. “E ’ russo,” you tried.

The hostess nodded immediately. “Ti porterò lì.”

You moved between the tables swiftly, following him. “Come è la vostra serata?”

“Ricca di eventi.”

Castiel was sitting at a table by himself and he looked up as you approached. You wanted to smack the smug smile off his face.

“Qui, perdere . Posso offrirti qualcosa da bere?”

You eyed the bottle of wine on the table.

“Acqua.”

“Ovviamente.”

And with that he swept away. You stared Castiel down as you sat down across the table from him.

Castiel leaned forward in his chair, reaching for the menu in front of him. “Do you want to look at the –” he started to say, but you interjected.

“We’re gonna make this quick.”

He closed his mouth and you noticed the vein in his forehead twitch. He was trying to keep his annoyance masked but you caught it.

Brushing it off quickly, he leaned back. “What is wrong?” he asked, sounding concerned.

“What was that you said about keeping me out of your work life?”

Castiel shrugged, “I needed your attention.”

“Well,” you snorted, throwing your hands out slightly. “Now you are stuck in a deal with Matteo.”

“For the better. I did need it.”

Shaking your head, you looked away from him. He did not say anything, and you saw him watching you out of the corner of your eye. You picked up your glass and finished half of it in one drink, preparing to retort something.

But you were interrupted.

Your waiter, you assumed, appeared and placed a glass of tap water in front of you. “Have you decided?” he asked, directed at Castiel.

“She has not looked,” Castiel responded. You caught the slight annoyed tone under his voice, directed at you.

You forced a smile and looked at the waiter. “Panna cotta. Lampone.”

“Uno o due?”

“Due,” you ordered, gesturing between you and Castiel.

“I will get it,” he said in English again and left the table.

A silence fell over the table and you picked up your glass awkwardly, finishing the rest of it slowly. Castiel seemed to be lost in thought.

“This the last time I am going to see you?” Castiel asked calmly out of the blue.

You felt like you got socked in the stomach. You narrowed your eyes at him, demanding, “What?”

He lazily moved his gaze back to you, “Yes… or no. Simple question, lisa.”

Just fox. Not his fox.

Swallowing, you inquired, “Does it have to be black and white like that?”

“Yes.” His tone was final, his eyes boring into you.

Against your will, you were losing your resolve to tell him to fuck off. His eyes were staring you down and you couldn’t look away from them. Weren’t you, just a half hour ago, thinking about how much you loved that he could take charge? And now you were upset. Get yourself together, you told yourself. But, it wasn’t working.

“I don’t know,” you finally admitted quietly.

He slightly rolled his eyes, looking away from you. “You had a week.”

“It is a big decision,” you tried to argue.

Castiel’s eyes slid back to meet you. He leaned forward on the table, “What is more important? Being here in Italy, with your job, and without me? Or being in Moscow, with your job, and having me?” His gaze was unwavering. When you didn’t respond, he added, “Does not seem like big decision.”

“You oversimplified it.”

“How?” he demanded.

Shrugging, you answered, “The fact that Matteo – “

He waved you off irritated. He leaned across the table once again, “If I am doing business with him and have good relationship, you have nothing to worry about. You are just making excuses now.”

Scoffing, you said shakily, “That’s not necessarily true, Castiel.”

Castiel picked up the wine bottle, popping the cork out. Before you could protest, he began filling your glass again. You watched him warily and you internally scolded yourself for drinking it so quickly.

“You are not Italian. You were not born into family. You have no obligation to be with an Italian,” he went on, ignoring what you said. He refilled his glass as well before placing the bottle back on the table. “So. Me. Or Italy?”

You hesitated, biting back on your words. You did not want to lose him. You could still come back to Italy to visit; you were not going to be locked in a cage in Moscow.

Darius was a phone call away and you could visit him regularly. There was a whirlwind going through your mind.  
He was waiting, patiently now it seemed, for your answer. His attention was not focused on you as he sipped slowly, watching the street through the open door.

Castiel was right. You were making excuses. You were afraid to leave Italy. You had been without a permanent home for so long and you had one now. And you did not want to lose it. You liked the feeling of having somewhere to come home to and people to be with. Did you really want to lose Castiel over that fear? Did you, without a doubt, believe you would lose your Italian family? That wasn’t a for sure. Castiel was right when he said you were not expected to be with an Italian. But, he was leaving out the part about him being a mob boss of another family. That is what worried you. But, still. Did you want to lose him on a chance that Matteo might resent you for choosing to be with Castiel? Versus knowing you would definitely lose Castiel if you chose Italy.

“I want you,” you finally whispered.

The corner of Castiel’s mouth twitched, no doubt him using everything in his power to hold back a smile.

The waiter appeared with your desserts. You didn’t even look up at him, still thinking about what you had just admitted to him.

“Grazie,” Castiel thanked the waiter, sounding cheerful. He picked up his fork and took a bite. Swallowing, he congratulated, “Good choice, moya malen'kaya lisa.”

You were his fox again. And you knew what he said definitely had a double meaning this time.

“Eat,” he urged you and you turned your eyes up to him.

His eyes, framed by his dark lashes, were watching you intently. You loved those eyes. He rose his brows, gesturing at your food again.

Shakily, you picked up your fork and took a bite. It was delicious, like it always was. You were still trying to calm down from your anxiety. At the same time, you felt a weight lifted off your shoulders having finally made a decision.

…  
Hostess: Good evening, miss. How can I help you?  
Y/N: I am meeting someone  
Hostess: Name?  
Y/N: He’s Russian.  
Hostess: I’ll take you.  
Hostess: How is your evening?  
Y/N: Eventful.  
Hostess: Here, miss. Can I get you anything else to drink?  
Y/N: Water.  
Hostess: Of course.  
Y/N: Panna cotta. Raspberry.  
Waiter: One or two?  
Y/N: Two.

<> <> <>

The pair of you moved through the restaurant, making your way towards the table where Castiel’s men were still enjoying wine and food.

“Find a taxi home,” Castiel said loud enough to get their attention, while simultaneously taking a moment to throw enough bills on the table to cover the tab. He was gone in a second, wrapping you up in his arm, seeming to want to hide you from the table. But you knew Sam and Dean knew it was you, so what was the point?

Castiel guided you out to the street and asked, “Where’s somewhere private?”

“Wait, what?” you asked, confused. You thought he had a hotel room.

“Out here.”

“Your hotel – “

“No,” he growled.

You felt a twitch of arousal at him wanting to take you in public.

You stammered, “All the parks are closed now.”

“Water?” he questioned, pushing you along.

Running places through your mind, you blurted, “La Cala. Matteo has a couple boats there. I have keys.”

Castiel made a pleased noise at this, burying his face into your hair as you walked before giving you a rough kiss on the side of your head.

His touch was possessive as he pushed you up against the door to the cabin of the boat. His lips traced up your neck before he pressed them firmly to yours, the breath leaving your lungs at his aggressiveness. Castiel pushed his hand up the back of your shirt, pulling at the back of your bra. He undid it with ease, pulling it down, and tossing it aside. He removed your shirt with the same fervor.

You let out a small gasp as he whipped you around, shoving you face first against the door. He ran his hands up your bare sides, ending at your breasts. He cupped them roughly, his breath hot on your neck. You shivered feeling the coldness of his fingers against your sensitive nipples.

No, you needed to get home. Darius might wake up and then this would go to shit. Out of nowhere, your thoughts cleared of your lust.

You pushed back against him and he muttered something incoherent as he rutted against your backside, his hands still playing with your breasts.

You pushed back harder, trying to move your elbow back to get space between the two of you. “Castiel –“

“Don’t,” he warned you in a low voice. His voice was clear that time. “You’re being so good to me, moya malen'kaya lisa. Do not ruin it.” His hands gripped your pants, undoing them in a swift movement and pulling them down.

“Step. Out.” His demand was clear. You did as he said, kicking your flats off in the process. You were completely bare in front of him and anyone who passed by for that matter. Heat crept up your neck at the thought, even though the rational part of your mind was telling you it was late and no one would take their boat out at this time.

You bit back a moan as one of his hands trailed south and he ran a finger delicately along your pussy.

“Ty moy,” Castiel rasped in Russian, his fingers digging deeper. You rotated your hips, trying to push him deeper. He nipped at your neck, a soft chuckle following, “Greedy little thing.”

Whipping you around to face him, he went to his knees, and easily hooked one of your legs over his shoulder. You barely had time to brace yourself against the door before Castiel pressed his face between your thighs. His tongue lapped at your pussy and you felt him burying himself, taking you in.

A loud moan escaped your lips as he delved deeper, his tongue exploring you. He entered a finger and you groaned as it brushed your core. You grinded against him, which only encouraged him further. He entered another digit and you threw your head back against the door, relishing in him pleasuring your sex, the thought of getting caught completely leaving your mind. The only thing you were thinking of was how much you needed him to finish you.  
He kept increasing his speed, both tongue and fingers.

Your breathing hitched as you felt yourself rushing towards a climax.

Your knees buckled and you collapsed against the door as your orgasm rippled through you. He held fast onto your thighs before moving quickly to stand up, his arms wrapping around you.

“You look beautiful,” he breathed as you came down from your high, your vision still clearing. He braced you in his arm before pushing the door handle and opening the door behind you. His arms swung underneath your ass, scooping you up into his arms as your legs hugged his waist.

Tossing you onto one of the kitchen counters, that you would have to no doubt remember to clean up later, he freed himself from his pants. He ran his hands up the outsides of your thighs, breathing erratically as he placed himself at your entrance.

Castiel nipped at your ear as he moved himself in. He let out lewd noise as he slowly buried himself in you fully. He stilled for a moment, letting you adjust to him.

Your eyes locked with his, one of your arms locked around the back of his neck. “I want it,” you breathed, completely lost.

A salacious grin appeared on his face before he moved out and pushed himself back in. He built up his pace, his breath hitching in tune with yours the quicker he moved. You loved the feeling of feeling full of him, surrounded by his arms. You could feel and see his body covered in a sheen of sweat and you had no doubt you were in the same state.

You mewled as Castiel nipped at your collar bone. He sounded hungry against your skin. “I have such desire for you. All the time.” His tone hardened as he raised his head to meet your eyes, his nails digging into your side.

“Do you know what you do to me?”

Suddenly, he thrusted into you with such ferocity you bounced back against the wall, a loud gasp escaping your lips. He didn’t relent, repeating the movement quicker this time.

He pulled out again, looking ready to enter you again with the same force, and you pressed your hand to his chest.

“Please, Castiel. Not so – “ you were cut off by a loud cry leaving your lips as he ignored your request, doing it again.

He reached out, still buried in you, grasping your jaw, forcing you to look at him. His eyes were wild. “I love you.” His hand fell, freeing you. His kisses were erratic as he continued his pace. “I would do anything for you,” he vowed to you between kisses.

How many times had he said this? And each time, it always got you. You secretly – and probably not so secretly – desired him having such devotion for you.

“Take me,” you practically begged.

This set a new flame within Castiel and he quickened his pace, forcing your lips to his. He bit your bottom lip, sucking it.

“Oh, I will,” he growled, pressing his forehead to yours. You sighed, aroused hearing him say this. You were so close, your fingers reached down, playing with your clit.

You went just as he did and he let out a guttural noise against the base of your throat as his thrusts lost motion. You moved with him, letting you both come down from your highs gradually.

Castiel pulled away, his eyes still swimming with his desire. You reached up, brushing your hand through his hair slowly. “Ty moya, moya malen'kaya lisa,” he breathed, bringing his lips to yours again softly.

…  
Castiel: You are mine.  
Castiel: You are mine, my little fox.


	20. Chapter 20

Darius padded into the kitchen the next morning, looking like hell. You were already making some breakfast for him even though it was almost 11 am. You had eaten already with Angelica and Eula who had both left shortly after to go sunbathe by the pool in the back yard.

“There’s water,” you gestured by the sink where a glass of water was waiting for him. “With lemon.”

“Thanks,” Darius stated, picking it up and making his way over to the table. He groaned slightly, resting his face in his hands. He was definitely as hung over as you expected him to be.

You pushed the potato and vegetable mix around the skillet. Swallowing sharply, you tread carefully, “I saw Castiel.” Darius was quiet behind you and you were afraid to turn around. You added to fill the silence, “You were passed out.”

Still silence. You exhaled, turning around to face him and continue speaking but as you turned, he asked, “And?”

You shrugged, “He… he brought it up again.”

Immediately, Darius’ face darkened. “He’s never going to relent is he?” He muttered, taking a long drink of his water. His eyes moved to the food cooking in the skillet and he added, “Is that almost done? I am starting to feel nauseous.”

“Yeah,” you replied. “And it’s fried pretty good.”

He smiled past his hang over, “Good job, amore.”

It was now or never. You had decided last night you were going to tell Darius about your decision first. And let him be angry for a few days and get over it. Although, you knew deep down you were oversimplifying how his reaction was going to play out.

“There’s something else,” you announced, forcing yourself to keep looking at him. He met your eyes again. “Yes, he did bring it up. Me… moving.” Darius narrowed his eyes, studying you. “And… he gave me an ultimatum.” You moved your eyes away from him, finding it difficult to keep looking at him.

Darius inhaled deeply, sounding like he was trying to keep his cool. You swallowed sharply again, turning quickly to push the toast into the toaster.

“Are you leaving?” his asked, his voice quiet.

Your grip on the counter was causing your knuckles to turn white. There was no point in beating around the bush anymore.

“Yes,” you responded, your voice barely above a whisper.

A dark chuckle left Darius’ throat and you turned your head to look at him. He was shaking his head, staring out the window. “I am way too hung over for this, Y/N,” he informed you, sounding irritated.

“I just… I wanted you to know,” you stammered.

He was out of his seat in a second, rounding on you. “You are STUPID, Y/N!” Darius snarled at you, getting in your face. “You are going to get yourself killed! Over some asshole!”

You were nervous about how loudly he was talking, especially out in the open. You wanted to deescalate the situation. “Darius, can we continue this somewhere more private?”

“NO! We are talking about it now!”

Trying to diffuse the situation still, you reasoned, “Castiel struck a deal with Matteo. He’s going to be getting more business – “

He interrupted you immediately. “You think Matteo is going to care!? You are fucking another boss! How do you know he’s not going to think you are passing on information and doing work for Andronikov?”

“Darius, please. Keep your voice down – “

“I WILL TALK AS LOUDLY AS I WANT!” Darius roared at you, seeming to forget his headache in his anger. “Do you not understand why I am against this? I DON’T WANT YOU DEAD!” You opened your mouth to protest but he pressed on. “No, fuck you, Y/N. You are screwing us both over! Do you honestly think Matteo will believe that I had NO knowledge of this whatsoever?” He snorted. “You are being selfish! Step back and think about others for a second! How is Angelica going to feel when you leave? Eula? LUCIA? ME?”

“Darius, please – “ you tried again but he cut you off yet again.

“I hope you are happy, living in your ivory tower!” He scorned. His tone was mocking, demeaning. “With Castiel doting on you, bringing you expensive gifts, and fucking you senseless every night. Because that’s all you seem to care about!”

That hurt you. You felt cornered. Snapping, you exclaimed, “If I don’t move, it’ll all come out anyway!”

Darius let out a sharp, condescending laugh. “Oh, why? Because Andronikov is a piece of shit and would throw you under the bus just because you refused to do as he demanded?”

You were furious.

Throwing your hands out, you threw the spatula onto the counter. “I’m screwed either way, Darius! I chose the option where I would lose the least! Cut me some fucking slack!”

“Have you asked him about Marcello?” Darius inquired, cocking his head to the side.

“NO!” you shouted at him, losing your cool. “Because I’m not going to buy into your bullshit conspiracy theories!”

Darius shook his head and snarled, “I cannot support this. I can’t support you, Y/N. You’re making a mistake. And you’re going to drag me into it like I have worried about this entire time.” You said nothing, your chest heaving. “If you’re going to leave, do it now. I can’t even look at you right now!”

Before you could say another word, he turned on his heel and stormed off.

You spun around fuming, your chest still heaving. Your eyes landed on the food that was still cooking and you grabbed the skillet, tossing the contents into the garbage and slamming the skillet back onto the burners. The tears came shortly after.

<> <> <>

“He told me to leave,” you cried into the phone.

You were in your room, your belongings thrown across your bed that you thought were most important. Two of your suitcases were open and you were disoriented as to how to pack. You had called Castiel when you realized you had no idea what to do or pack.

“Who?” Castiel questioned.

“Darius!”

There was a slight pause from the other side of the phone before Castiel asked, “Why?”

“I told him I was leaving! And he told me to leave and that he couldn’t look at me!”

Part of you felt pathetic that you were crying to Castiel about this but the other part knew he was the only one that you were able to vent to about it.

Castiel did not miss a beat this time. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to pack,” you sobbed, throwing a shirt down on the bed.

“That’s good,” Castiel reassured you from the other end of the phone.

You sat on the bed heavily. “No, it’s not!” you exclaimed, wiping at your eyes furiously.

Castiel back tracked quickly. “I meant that it is good you are packing. I am excited to go back with you. Not that it is good that Tehrani is angry with you.”

You sighed loudly, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Just finishing doing what you are doing. He will be angry for a few days. You let him calm down,” Castiel instructed you. “Just finish packing. And then take a taxi to my hotel. Let me know when you are coming. We are at the water right now.”

Contemplating what you said, you exhaled deeply. You didn’t want to leave Darius without making things up with him. But, Castiel was leaving tomorrow and you didn’t think Darius would be over it by then either.

“Y/N?” Castiel’s voice drug you from your thoughts from the other end of the phone.

Nodding, more to yourself than anything, you agreed quietly, “Alright.”

“Good. Ya lyublyu tebya.”

You knew what that meant. You forced a small smile through the tears. “I love you too.”

<> <> <>

Castiel hung up the phone, placing it back in his pocket. A small smile appeared on his face before he turned on his heel and walked back down the walkway to the area where his men were playing cards at a table in the park by the marina.

He approached the table and sat down, a smile still on his face.

“Ty vyglyadish’ schastlivym,” Sam observed.

Castiel met Sam’s eyes and informed him, “Ya dazhe ne pridetsya rabotat’ i dela idut moy put’ inogda.”

“Kak tak?” Sam questioned.

Flicking his eyes at Vadim and Gavriil, he commented ambigously, “Revnivyy druzey delayet zhenshchin resheniya proshche.”

Dean smirked at this, understanding immediately. He placed a card down, trumping Vadim’s and Vadim sighed annoyed. “On vsegda byl revnivyy tip,” Dean told Castiel.

“Khorosho dlya menya , chto my dva vida,” Castiel responded, grinning to himself.  
…  
Sam: You look happy.  
Castiel: I don’t even have to work and things go my way sometimes.  
Sam: How so?  
Castiel: Jealous friends making women’s decisions easier.  
Dean: He always was the jealous type.  
Castiel: Good for me that we are two of a kind.


	21. Chapter 21

Someone knocked on your door and you froze, midway pushing a shirt into your suitcase. You cleared your throat and called, “Chi è??”

“Me,” Angelica called from the other side of the door.  
You quickly brushed your eyes, knowing you were still going to look like you had been crying. Your mind was racing, trying to think of an explanation to tell her. “Va bene,” you called, making sure again that there were not any tears on your face.

She pushed open the door, immediately looking concerned. She was dressed as if she was about to go out, looking sleek as usual. Her eyes ran across your suitcases and landed on you. “Cosa sta succedendo?”

“Ho intenzione di fare un viaggio,” you responded, giving a slight shrug. You were trying to be calm, seem as if the trip meant nothing.

Angelica pondered on this for a moment and then narrowed her eyes, “Why are you crying?”

“I am going to start my period. I’ve felt crappy all day.”

Angelica did not look to believe you in the slightest. “Really?” she asked, her tone annoyed.

Again, you shrugged. It was quiet for a few moments before Angelica sighed, “Well, when you are ready to tell me, you will. Where are you going? Are you leaving now? I was going to go to the square and pick up some chocolates for Madam Alesio.”

Alesio was a widow of a former close acquaintance of Matteo and the familys had always been close, even after her husband’s death. Angelica particularly had a close relationship with her and visited her often.

You felt awful that you couldn’t tell her the whole truth.

“Yeah, I’m leaving right now. I’m sorry,” you told her, running a hand through your hair. “I’m gonna go to Moscow for a week. I need to talk to Lucia before I go.”

Angelica looked concerned again. “Is everything alright?”

Nodding, you responded, “Yes. I… I just need to be there for a bit.”

“Well,” Angelica said, moving over to give you a hug. “Let me know when you land. And Lucia is downstairs. She just got here to talk to Dante.”

“Thanks,” you stated. “I’ll let you know when I get there.”

When Angelica left the room, you watched her back. You felt like crying all over again because you had lied, and you were ashamed it had been that easy for you to do.

…  
Y/N: Who is it?  
Y/N: Okay.  
Angelica: What is going on?  
Y/N: I am going to go on a trip.  
Angelica: Why are you crying?

<> <> <>

Halfway down the stairs to talk to Lucia, you stalled. The wind was leaving your sails to approach her and ask if she was going to need you in the next week.

This is crazy. Why couldn’t you just be honest? Because it isn’t the right time, a voice in the back of your mind told you.

You willed yourself forward, moving down the rest of the stairs. You made your way to the game room, where you knew Dante would be and more than likely Lucia. Not surprisingly, you heard the video game from down the hall.

“Si sta andando ad avere per andare a fare shopping con la mamma a un certo punto,” Lucia sounded from inside the room before you turned the corner.

“Lo so!” Dante whined, not moving his eyes away from the TV. He was knee deep in a campaign it looked like.

Lucia’s attention turned to you when you walked in. “Hey, Y/N.” Dante threw you a glance before looking back at the TV. Ever since Marcello’s funeral, he had become reclusive, staying in his room or down here, sucked in video games.

“Posso parlare con voi?” you asked her. She nodded and followed you out of the room.

“Are you going to need me this week?”

Lucia shrugged and answered, “I don’t know. Why?”

It was taking everything to be calm. “I was going to go on a trip if you didn’t.”

“Where?” Lucia questioned and then added, “You’ve been traveling a lot.”

You answered truthfully, “Moscow.” The gnawing in your stomach was increasing.

“Why there?” Lucia asked with a small laugh. The expression on her face was a mixture of laughter and disgust.

Just say it! You snapped at yourself.

You breathed out and admitted, “I’m seeing someone.”

A smile spread across her face, to your relief. “Oh?” You didn’t offer anything. She looked you over and she stated, “Well, have fun then. Just don’t get pregnant.”

Your stomach tightened, Lucia not knowing she just struck a sensitive spot. Forcing a smile, you replied, “I’ll try not to.”

“And don’t let him get too controlling. You know Russians.”

Smirking, you quipped, “As if Italian men are different?”

This caused Lucia to laugh. “Touche, Y/N. And you and I would know the best.” You gave a small laugh and she gave you a kiss on both your cheeks. “Be safe on your trip.”

…  
Lucia: You’re going to have to go shopping with mom at some point.  
Dante: I know!  
Y/N: Can I talk to you?

<> <> <>

Instead of taking a taxi to his hotel and calling him, you had put your bags into your car and drove down to the marina. You knew it would take a little bit to find him, but you wanted to walk and get some fresh air anyway.

You spotted him at a table, checking his watch. He was probably wondering what was taking you so long.

Castiel looked up at you as you approached the table. You caught a flash of annoyance on his face as he put his cards face down on the table.

“I told you to call me,” he directed at you. The other men looked around before noticing you. Sam rose his eyebrows at you, a small smile tugging at his lips as a greeting.

“I know,” was all you said back.

Castiel looked at you, his jaw clenched slightly. From annoyance at your disregard for his request or something else, you did not know. He turned his attention away from you.

“Ostav’ nas,” Castiel informed the men at his table. They all did immediately as he asked, except Vadim, who was looking between the two of you quickly.

“Kakiye?” Vadim asked.

Castiel’s nostrils flared. “Ostavlyat’. Nas. Teper’.” Vadim obeyed quickly. Gesturing at the chair beside him, Castiel said tightly, “Sidet’.”

“I’m going to assume that means sit,” you responded, taking a seat.

He ignored your quip and immediately cut to the chase. “Where are your things?”

“In my car,” you answered him. Before he could ask, you added, “I didn’t want to take a taxi.”

His eyes roamed over you before he questioned, “Are you alright?” You shrugged. Sighing, he told you, “Do not worry about Tehrani.”

You narrowed your eyes slightly and asked, “And how am I supposed to do that?”

“Do not think about it.”

It was your turn to sigh. “I wish it was that easy. He’s being a dick and hurt my feelings. Regardless, I am going to have to speak to him in a few days and bury the hatchet. I don’t want this dragging out longer than it has to.”

Castiel practically sneered, “You are far too reliant on him.”

You did not like the tone. Staring him down, you told him, “He’s my closest friend.”

“Make friends with Sam.”

You snorted, “He doesn’t even call me by my real name.”

“He likes you just the same,” Castiel responded. “Are you wanting to go back to the hotel now or are you looking to stay out and about?”

“I would honestly like a nap,” you told him.

Castiel’s eyes ran over you. “And then we will go out.”

“No,” you interjected and Castiel’s nostrils flared again. “I do not want to be out. There are too many people who know me here.”

Clicking his tongue, Castiel picked up his water, taking a sip. He swallowed and exhaled, “Fine. Room service then.” He sounded irritated.

You shifted in your seat and scolded yourself for being so stubborn. You were in a bad mood and you were letting it extend to him when he had nothing to do with it. “We could go to a restaurant near your hotel?”

Castiel seemed satisfied with this. He reached out, grabbing your hand. He brought your hand to his mouth, his lips brushing the back of your hand. “That is good, moya malen'kaya lisa.”

…  
Castiel: Leave us.  
Vakim: What?  
Castiel: Leave. Us. Now.  
Castiel: Sit.

<> <> <>

Darius walked through the market, flowers in hand. He was planning on bringing them to a girl he had seen a few nights before and wanted to go on a date with.

He looked down at his phone, seeing Y/N had not texted him yet. It had been hours. He sighed loudly, placing the phone back in his pocket. He was not happy thinking about how he had blown up on her. He was giving her some space and he figured she was doing the same for him. As angry as he was, it was not setting right with him that they were fighting.

He looked forward again and stopped in his tracks.

Andronikov – Dean – was sitting at a small table, looking straight at him.

Clenching his jaw, Darius took the bait reluctantly, walking stiffly towards him. Moving his eyes about the square, he tried to spot anyone else to see if it was a trap.

“Darius,” Dean greeted, a small smirk playing on his face.

“What the hell do you want, Andronikov?” Darius asked him, his tone tight. He refused to call him by his first name, to even insinuate some depth to their relationship. It was taking everything in him to not sock him in the jaw.

“You’re not even going to ask how I found you?”

“Would you even tell me the truth if I asked?” Darius drawled.

Dean shrugged as he stood up, folding the newspaper and tossing it on the table. “Good point.”

“So, let me ask you again. What the hell do you want? Your boss send you?”

“No, he did not. I have come to reassure you.”

“Of?” Darius drawled. He didn’t like the smile on Dean’s face, the nonchalant way he was moving. As if he was not threatened by Darius.

“Y/N will be fine.”

Darius snorted, “You don’t have to reassure me of that. She could probably take your ass out in a few moments.”

Giving him a tight smile, Dean walked a few steps closer. “You should just let it happen. And we will call it even.”

“Excuse me?” Darius asked in a dangerous, deep voice.

“You took something of mine and now I am – inadvertently – taking something of yours,” Dean replied, his expression unfriendly. He shrugged. “It will be easier. Just tell her you are okay with it.”

Darius snarled, “Like hell.”

“You always were stubborn,” Dean sighed mockingly. He pulled a cigar out of his pocket and twirled it between his fingers. “Think about it. Do you want to ruin relationship with her? I know she means a lot to you. She will be safe. Plus, as I am sure you are aware, a mob boss – especially Russian – is not someone you want to try to take their girlfriend away from.” He paused, studying Darius’ face, who was staring him down in return. Dean’s eyes twinkled at Darius’ defiance. “Anyway, sorry for dropping in.” Nothing about his tone suggested he was sorry in the slightest. He chirped, “You have good day, Hound.” He winked before walking around Darius, leaving him there.


	22. Chapter 22

Dean walked into the room where Castiel was cleaning himself up in. Vadiim and another boyevik, Peter, were standing along the wall.

Castiel’s eyes moved to Dean, looking him over. “Ty vyglyadish’ schastlivym,” Castiel commented, somewhat breathlessly, wiping his hands on a rag.

Dean moved his eyes down to the man on the ground. He could still see the man was breathing but was definitely going to take a long time to recover.

“Kak vy,” Dean responded, moving his gaze back to meet Castiel’s, who merely gave him a wide grin. Gesturing at the man, Dean added, “Ya predpolagayu, chto moral’ etoy istorii v tom, chtoby ne dvoynoy krest politik , kotoryy imeyet tesnyye svyazi s mafiyey.”

Castiel acknowledged this, raising his eyebrows in agreement. “Spravedlivaya otsenka.” He threw the rag aside.

Pointing at his bloody knuckles, Dean stated, “Y/N poprosit ob etom.”

“She won’t,” Castiel replied simply. “Work life is separate.” Dean said nothing, just giving Castiel a quick smirk. “Do you have something to tell me?”

“Privately.”

Castiel threw a glance at Vadim and Peter before stepping over the body on the ground. “Untie the bastard and make sure to leave that note,” he commanded them before walking past Dean through the doorway. Dean followed him.

“What is it?” Castiel questioned when they were alone.

“Has Y/N spoken to Tehrani?”

Cocking his head to the side, studying him, Castiel responded hesitantly. “No.”

“You sure?”

“Yes,” Castiel stated firmly. He asked, “Why are you so curious?”

Dean shrugged and said nonchalantly, “I talked to him in Italy.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes at him accusingly. “What?” he demanded, his tone dangerous.

“To leave her alone. To leave you alone,” Dean explained.

Immediately, Castiel looked enraged. Castiel got in his face and snarled, “I told you to not get involved in my relationship! Have you lost your ability to hear? Or have you just lost respect for me?”

“I am sorry, boss. You were trying to move things forward and had a lot on your plate. I wanted to help.” Dean sounded sincere. “And he backed off, didn’t he?”

Castiel looked furious still, even considering what Dean had pointed out. Dean pulled his cell phone out and unlocked it, navigating to his messages. “What I am happy about, as you observed earlier, is that he texted me instead of her.”

“What?” Castiel demanded, yet again, snatching the cell phone from him.

How is she, Andronikov?

His eyes moved back up, meeting Dean’s. “This is the first thing he has said to you?” Dean nodded in confirmation. Castiel looked at the phone again before observing, “You have not said anything.”

“What would you like me to say?”

Castiel ground his teeth, mulling over ideas in his head.

Suddenly, he shoved Dean’s phone back to his chest and snapped, “'Fine’. That is it.” He pointed a finger threateningly in Dean’s face. “I told you to not get involved with me and her. And you ignored me. No matter how well it might have turned out because of it, you still went against my order.”

“I – “ Dean tried to say but Castiel cut him off.

“Do not make the same mistake again.” He stared daggers through Dean before turning away and walking down the stairs.

…  
Castiel: You seem happy.  
Dean: So do you. I guess the moral of this story is to not double cross a politician who has deep ties to the mob.  
Castiel: Fair assessment.  
Dean: Y/N will ask about that.

<> <> <>

You were trying to get out of Castiel’s grasp and out of the pool. It was far after 2am and you both needed to be up early to head out towards his sister’s estate. Castiel was not agreeing with your plan.

“We could continue swimming. Or go into the hot tub. I have been told drinking champagne in a hot tub is an out of world experience. What do you think?”

You pushed away from him, laughing at this. You swam away from the deep end of the pool towards the middle, heading for the ladder there. Castiel was following you. Your feet finding ground, you waded to the ladder, trying to climb out. He reached you, his arms encircling you, pulling you back towards him.

Groaning slightly, “Cas, we need to sleep. We have plans tomorrow.”

“Shh,” he hushed you, his hands roaming up under your bikini top. He pulled at the string of your bikini, undoing it in one fell swoop. He tossed it beside you on the cement. You felt his lips on your shoulders.

“Cas,” you said, laughing a little, trying to gently pull away from him.

He was being anything but gentle. Your bottoms were pulled away from you; Castiel tossed them up beside the pool before turning you around forcibly to face him. He resumed his exploration of your body, both with his hands and lips.

“Someone might come outside,” you tried, before his lips found yours.

Moving away from you slightly, he murmured, “Then let them see you. And be jealous you are not theirs.”

He removed his bottoms as well and then pushed himself between your legs, his cock brushing your thighs and ending at your slit. He rutted slowly against you, gently pushing, begging to be let in.

“Castiel, please,” you tried, your resolve diminishing by the second.

Castiel muttered against your skin, “Please. I like that. Ask it again.” His movements became more desperate, his length pushing slightly into you. Against your intentions of getting a good night’s sleep, you moved towards him, wanting him to enter you fully. He grunted in pleasure against the base of your neck, nuzzling his nose in.

His hands gripped you harder as he moved into you and you moaned despite yourself.

“Am I your first in water?” Castiel teased, nipping at your ear.

You couldn’t help but taunt him. “Would you like me to lie or be honest?”

He let out a low growl, his thrusts becoming deeper. You braced yourself against the edge of the pool, letting the feeling of him take you overwhelm you. His hips moved in unison with your own as he delved deeper. This was different for you. Your movements were slowed in the water and you felt him have to work harder to fuck you as hard as he wanted to.

You moved your hands to run your fingers through his hair, pressing his head against the nape of your neck. “Yes, Castiel. First in the water,” you breathed out.

After a few more moments, you felt uncomfortable. “Hold on,” you breathed against him. He pulled away from you, stilling for second. “Inside.” He made to protest but you interjected, “I don’t feel close to you. As sexy as this is. The water is holding us back.”

This only seemed to fuel his need, his eyes flashing. “You drive me crazy,” he muttered, his fingers weaving into your hair.

You raised your head to meet his gaze and a grin spread across your face. “So you’ve told me,” you quipped. You pressed your lips before pushing away from him and moving towards the ladder.

He followed you into the house, straight into his home gym. The carpet in here was lush and you had no problem with him pushing you down onto the ground, climbing on top of you. You felt his fingers at your folds and he pressed in gently, rubbing your clit gently. You moaned against his mouth and he rutted his length against your leg, exploring your pussy with his fingers.

“The chlorine was not my friend,” you joked quietly, smiling against his mouth.

“I will fix that,” he murmured, his fingers moving deeper, and you moved towards him, your body begging for more.  
Castiel worked quickly, arousing you, before lining himself back up with your entrance and pressing back in.

His embrace was home to you. You forgot about everything. All your worries over Darius and Matteo. Over your home. You forgot about your nervousness at being here, committing yourself to not only someone but someone with as great of overreach of power as Castiel. And being in a foreign land. You were naked here, exposed. You were weak. You did not know the area. Your skills would only take you so far.

But all of that was forgotten as you concentrated on how you felt then. The beating of your heart, the thrusts he made inside you, his lips tracing your skin. He overwhelmed you in the best possible way.

You pushed him and quickly moved positions, so you were on top. You sunk down onto his cock again, his hands gripping your waist.

Castiel hissed suddenly as you ran your fingernails down his chest. You noticed and sassed, “Am I hurting you too much? Aren’t you supposed to be tough? Unbreakable? Should I just leave?”

Pulling you to him suddenly, his lips brushed your jawline. “Vy nikogda ne vozvrashchat'sya,” he husked in your ear, slamming inside you. You mewled as he bit down on your shoulder.

Running a finger down his jaw, you said breathlessly, “Have I told you how much it turns me on when you talk to me in Russian?”

Castiel’s eyes were dark with lust. He moved his hands up, pushing your arms behind your back and holding tightly with one hand, his other hand moving back to grip your hip. You cried out as he bucked deeply, brushing your core. The only sounds were of the both of your panting and skin slapping skin as he continued fucking you deeply.

He began to lose rhythm. His fingernails dug into your sides and you half whimpered at the pain. Castiel pulled you towards him roughly, letting your arms go, and began kissing your collar bone erratically. His fingers traveling south, playing with your sex. You gasped at the contact against your nub. He was trying to make sure you finished as well as he did.

And you did. Your orgasm rushed through you moments after his grip tightened severely on you and you felt him pulsing inside you.

Against your will, your mind rushed back to what Lucia had warned you about not getting pregnant. Your stomach tightened a bit, thinking of this.

Castiel pulled you from your thoughts as his arms wrapped around you and he rolled you both over onto your sides. His kisses were slow and gentle now, not in the same the animalistic attack they had waged on you moments before. His hands ran slowly over your body, appreciating every nook, cranny, and curve. You fell into the kiss, letting your desire and love for him take over.

…  
Castiel: You are never going back.

<> <> <>

Castiel walked in front of you up the stairs towards the front door of his sister’s house. Chuck was following behind you. Castiel had said that it was a good thing he was coming along, and you were suspicious as to why.

Not even bothering to knock, Castiel opened the front door and announced loudly, “Eto ya!”

Immediately you heard footsteps coming from upstairs and they got louder as a young boy began descending the stairs quickly. Castiel smiled immediately seeing him. The boy ran up to Castiel excitedly, holding out a piece of paper.

His expression was like the sun. “Dyadya! Ya poluchil po matematike!” he exclaimed, shoving the paper towards Castiel. He seemed to have been waiting for Castiel to show up, this prepared.

A wide grin spread across Castiel’s face. He leaned down and said, “Ya govoril tebe. U vas yest’ eto v vas.” He tapped the boy’s forehead. “Pryamo zdes’, Nikolay.”  
The boy beamed and said, “U menya yest’ chto-to yeshche , chtoby pokazat’ vam! Ya navel yego na zadniy dvor!”

He disappeared and Castiel straightened up as Viktoriya come in through an arched doorway leading to what looked like a living room. Her eyes fell on you immediately and she looked you over quickly, dismissing you before her eyes moved to Chuck.

She smiled warmly. “I did not know you would come.”

“Here I am,” Chuck said, throwing his arms out sheepishly. “Someone has to keep Y/N company while you and your brother speak in Russian.”

You held back a snort at Chuck’s boldness. Surprisingly, you noticed that Viktoriya did not seem offended by Chuck’s quip. She merely laughed and said, “You are kind, Chuck.”

“I try to be,” he winked.

Viktoriya’s attention was on you again. “Takim obrazom, vy ne lezhali . Vy po-prezhnemu s ney.” She said, looking you over before throwing Castiel a look. “Eto dolzhno byt’ zapis’ dlya vas, Castiel.”

Her accent was as heavy as you remembered.

Castiel’s expression hardened and he asked in a low voice, “Chto zhe ya sprashivayu vas?”

It seemed to pain Viktoriya, but she swallowed and looked back towards you again. “I have drink ready for you. If you would come with.”

Holding your ground, you shrugged and said, “Thank you.”

She gave you a tight smile. “You will join shortly?” She asked, looking passed you at Chuck.

“Of course. I enjoy your company. But, your son has something to show off.”

“Always. He’s just like his uncle,” she quipped, throwing a look at Castiel who seemed to be holding back a retort. She looked at you again and gestured to follow her before she disappeared through the doorway again.

Castiel went the opposite direction, following Nikolay. You felt a hand on your arm before you made a step and turned slightly. “She’s icy but you should be able to melt through that eventually,” Chuck commented quietly in your ear. “I got faith in you, Fox.” He gave you a wink and followed Castiel.

…  
Castiel: It’s me!  
Nikolay: Uncle! I got an A in math!  
Castiel: I told you. You have it in you. Right here, Nikolay.  
Nikolay: I have something else to show you! I will bring it to the back yard!  
Viktoriya: So, you were not lying. You are still with her. This must be a record for you, Castiel.  
Castiel: What did I ask of you?

<> <> <>

“I am surprised he has been with you this long,” Viktoriya commented, walking away from the table towards the fridge.

You looked up from your cup and studied her. You two had made a small amount of small talk before it had gone silent for a few moments. Enough moments that it had become uncomfortable and you had begun staring at your cup.

You did not like the game she was playing.

Forcing a smile, you replied, “I tend to reel them in easily. And keep them.”

Despite her less than fluent grasp on English, she seemed to get what you meant. She chuckled to herself as she pulled the water out of the fridge and brought it over to the table. She placed the pitcher between the two of you, next to the bottle of vodka.

“And trust me. He’s better than my last,” you said before she could say anything else.

Viktoriya studied you silently and you stared back at her.

“You are different,” she finally stated. “I have never had one of Cas’ girls look at me. They do not try.”

“Has he dated weak women?”

A smile, icy smile. “You could say that.”

You didn’t know what to do with this information. Was she toying with you or was she being truthful? You played it cool. You raised your glass to your lips and shrugged, “I wonder what made him go after me then.”

Viktoriya, for once, looked amused. You took a drink and placed your cup back down. “He likes you. A lot.” She immediately looked serious and said, “And that does not mean well for you.” Your brow furrowed slightly, and she leaned in across the table. “Other girls he forgot. He was over them very quick. And he left. Nothing more.” She paused, taking a drink from her cup and exhaling.

Her eyes zeroed in on you again and you couldn’t help feeling the slightest bit threatened by the look in her eyes. Her tone was low, serious. “But you dump him? Or do something to make him leave you?” She tsked, leaning back again, her eyes not leaving you. “I have seen him like this for one other woman.” She licked her lips, seeming lost in thought.

You were taken aback by this, not knowing how to handle the information. You, again, did not know if she was telling the truth or trying to start trouble.

As you opened your mouth to respond, you were interrupted by Castiel and Chuck coming through the doorway, followed by Nikolay and two other small boys.

Immediately, Viktoriya straightened up and one of the other boys came up to her, “Mama, eto vremya dlya obeda?”

“Vy vsegda golodny, Vlad!” Viktoriya exclaimed, kissing the top of his head. She moved her eyes to Chuck. “You will help me in kitchen?”

“Of course,” Chuck smiled in return. Viktoriya beamed at this, standing up from the table. The way she looked at him, you knew immediately why Castiel had insisted that he come along. They disappeared into the kitchen and Castiel turned his attention to you.

You were still trying to shake what Viktoriya had said and it obviously showed. Castiel frowned slightly, “What is wrong?”

Meeting his eyes, you shrugged, “Nothing.” He didn’t seem convinced, but let it drop just the same.

You did not intend to leave him anyway.

…  
Vlad: Mama, is it time for dinner?  
Viktoriya: You are always hungry, Vlad!


	23. Chapter 23

You hung up your phone and walked downstairs to where Castiel was going over paperwork. “I’m going to go home for a few days,” you announced.

Castiel’s stopped and looked up from what he was doing. His eyes narrowed, and he demanded, “For what?”

Raising your eyebrows at him, you stated, “One, I have to work. Two, um, to get my stuff? Three, fix things with Darius and four, speak to Lucia and Matteo?”

He brushed you off immediately. “You can send for your things and talk to them on your laptop.”

You rolled your eyes, “Castiel, seriously. Doesn’t fix the fact I have to work.”

Castiel turned to face you fully. “You’ve only been here for a week!”

Giving him an incredulous look, you retorted, “Yes, a week. Like I said I would be.” You hesitated before adding, “And don’t you forget that you were the one who agreed that I should keep working for Matteo. It’s not like I’m going to get a month off. His business and operations aren’t going to stop just because we want to spend time together! You should know this. You are also a boss.”

Castiel’s nostrils flared and he threw down his pen. “You promised me, Y/N!”  


Throwing your hands out to your sides in disbelief, you snapped, “I am here with you and telling you I want to bring my stuff here! Why are you getting angry?”

Castiel rubbed his face furiously, his finger ending at his lips. He bit down on his finger aggressively, trying to hold back his temper. He turned away from you for a few moments.

It seemed to pain him to relent. “You leave me, you come back in four days. No exceptions.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“Don’t ridicule me,” Castiel snapped.

Groaning, you responded, “I’m not! I’m just annoyed because you’re acting crazy.”

Castiel pushed his chair back with a loud, grating noise causing you to wince. He flew out of his chair and stood in front of you, staring down his nose at you. “Is it crazy to be worried you could die?”

“I could die anywhere, Castiel,” you sighed, annoyed.

“You almost died in Albania. On your job. And you did not tell me. And…” He trailed off.

He didn’t have to finish that sentence to know that you dying wasn’t the only thing he was mad about that you hadn’t told him.

Sucking your teeth, you looked away from him.

Cupping your face, Castiel forced you to look at him again. “I do not like you away from me.”

“Yeah, I know,” you said, and you couldn’t help keeping the disdain out of your tone.

Castiel’s expression hardened and he said, trying to keep his voice even, “I am sorry that I care so much.”

“That’s not it – “ you tried.

“It’s exactly it. You’ve never had someone who really cared about your wellbeing. And it’s scary. I get it.” You just stared at him dumbfounded. His expression softened again, his voice quieter. “It’s harder when you are invested, and it puts you at risk. Trust me. I know.” Swallowing sharply, you tried to look away from him, but he made you look at him again. He leaned in closer and said, “I trust you. I will try to be better.”

You mulled over his words and he jostled you gently, “Y/N?”

“Okay,” you muttered.

“I promise. I will try to be… less crazy,” Castiel stated. A smile tugged at your lips and he took the invitation. He leaned forward and gave you a soft kiss on your forehead. “You text me when you land.”

<> <> <>

You walked into Darius’ room, finding him strapping himself up, placing weapons. He heard the floor creak and his head snapped up, seeing you standing a few paces into his room. He stopped, his hands falling, watching you intently.

Sighing loudly, you said, “We need to bury this now if we are going to work together anymore.”

“Have you told Lucia and Matteo?” Darius asked directly.

“No.”

“Then we cannot bury it,” Darius responded curtly, resuming his task.

You thought quickly, grinding your teeth. Exhaling sharply, you stepped towards him. “If… If I promise to do it after we get finished with this assignment, can we start now?” Darius said nothing, and you pressed, “Darius. I’m here. I haven’t abandoned this family. My family.” Darius’ hands fell slowly again from his belt and he stared at the wall, seeming to process what you were saying. “This place – and the people here – mean something to me.”

Still, Darius was silent.

Clenching your jaw, you put your hands on your hips. “Darius, just because we have some shit going on between us doesn’t mean we get to let that fuck up our job. We need to put this shit aside for now and do our work. I get that you’re angry with me because I have repeatedly ignored you telling me I should not be with Castiel. And that you have all these doubts about him. And you know what? That pisses me off because I feel like you should trust me by now. But, all of that aside, my personal choices do not have any place in our job. And frankly, I am sick of fighting about – “

“I let you go.”

You stopped ranting, looking at him confused. “Darius, what?”

“I let you go,” he repeated, shaking his head. He turned to face you, his expression a mixture of regret and annoyance. “I was worried about you and because I let Andronikov – Dean – plant doubt into my head – “

“Dean?” you interjected forcibly. What was he talking about?

Darius nodded and continued, “He approached me – saying Castiel did not send him – and just… spoke to me. Threatened me slightly.”

You stared at him, shocked. This was new information to you and you immediately wondered if Castiel knew about this now and if he had been behind it the whole time.

Darius drug you from your thoughts again. “He told me not to get involved. That it would just make things messier. And you know what? I agreed with him, Y/N. Shit, I still do. So, I stepped out. And I let you go.” He paused again, running his hand through his hair. “You know, I was worried you wouldn’t come back. Partially because I believe Castiel to be a controlling fuckhead and partially because…” He trailed off.

You stepped closer as he avoided eye contact with you. “Because what, Darius?” you asked gently.

It took him a few seconds, but he met your eyes again. He looked pained to say, “Because I thought you wouldn’t want to come back.”

“Why would you ever think that?” you whispered.

“People do crazy shit when they are in love,” Darius responded simply, shrugging.

Nodding in agreement, you replied, “Well, luckily for us, I’m not that crazy.”

A smirk crept across Darius’ face and he quipped, “You would like to think so.”

You smiled in return. “Come here,” he said after a few moments and he reached out, grabbing your arms, pulling you to him quickly, his arms wrapping around you protectively. You instinctively hugged him tightly in return, burying your face into his chest. “I shouldn’t worry about you. Because you’re here. But… you need to come out about it,” he whispered in your hair.

“I know,” you breathed out. “I’m tired of doing things in secret.”

The two of you stayed like that for a few minutes, relishing in the moment.

Darius pushed away gently and cleared his throat, straightening out his shirt, “Don’t let this cloud your judgment. We have an assignment.”

Throwing him a smirk, you quipped, “I don’t have any emotions, Tehrani. What are you talking about?”

This earned you a wide grin in response.

<> <> <>

Mission accomplished, you followed Lucia back to the town car there to pick her up. You threw a glance over your shoulder at Darius who was following the other Mafioso back to their own car.

Sitting in the backseat of the car, you pulled a handkerchief out of your pocket, wiping the blood from your face and hands. Lucia was not bothered by it in the slightest, completely used to it at this point.

She studied you. “Come è stata la tua settimana?” she asked, leaning back in the seat.

You felt your chest constricting at her prodding. You were fighting against yourself to not be honest. “Bene,” you exhaled, working on your opposite hand.

Lucia scoffed slightly, “Quindi, non va bene allora?”

“No, it was good,” you worked quickly, forcing a smile. “I had an enjoyable time. He was really… nice. I met some of his family.”

A smile broke out on Lucia’s face and she inquired, “Well, when are you going to bring him around to meet me?”

Your heart was hammering in your chest; this was the moment. You placed the handkerchief back in your pocket and cleared your throat. Brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, you leaned back in the seat, admitting, “You have met him.”

Lucia’s smile disappeared, and she inquired, “Who?”

“Andronikov.” It came out quickly. You couldn’t look at her directly, risking stealing a glance.

Lucia looked like she had been socked in the stomach. She looked forward at the window between you two and the driver. She reached out, closing it before turning her attention back towards you fully. “Tell me you’re joking.” Her voice was quiet.

“I’m not,” you breathed.

She clenched her jaw, brooding. “You cannot see him,” she finally told you.

Your heart sank. “Lucia, please – “

She cut you off, jumping in with accusations. “Did he approach you? After he had his meeting with dad?”

You shook your head quickly. “No.”

Lucia’s eyes narrowed, studying you closely. “Then what? Did you meet him downtown when he was here?”

You shook your head again, “No…” you trailed off, looking away, and then admitted, “At Kozma’s last party.”

Lucia was slack jawed. “That was months ago,” she finally responded in a dangerously low voice.

“Yeah,” you confirmed, meeting her eyes again.

“This whole time….?” she questioned, trailing off. You knew better than to answer, seeing the look on her face. She straightened up, looking you dead in the face. “Are you fucking working for him?”

Your eyes almost bulged out of your head. This was going in the worst direction. “No!” you exclaimed. “Lucia, I am dating him. I am not working for him!”

“Y/N,” Lucia started out, sounding like she was having trouble keeping her voice even. “I know you were not born into this family. I know you joined when you were older. And I know you are not considered a mafioso. But, you should know that this will look bad. Do you know what my father will do if he finds out?”

“I am not doing anything against him. I swear.” You sounded pathetic.

Throwing her hands out, Lucia spat, “How is he going to know that? How do I know that?”

Despite yourself, tears were stinging your eyes. Lucia no doubt noticed as you pleaded, “I have not lied to you.”

Lucia scoffed, “No. Just withheld information.” You felt your heart drop. She shook her head, “That is dangerously close to lying, Y/N.”

Something snapped within you. “How could I be honest if I didn’t know how serious it was going to be? If I would have said something before, it would have gotten cut off before I could even try.” You couldn’t believe you were letting those words spill out of your mouth. And they were not stopping. “I haven’t stopped working for your father. Or you. I am here when you called. I am not working for Castiel. He has not asked me to. And if he was not okay with me working for you, you know he probably would have put up a fight to stop me from coming back here.”

Biting her tongue, Lucia looked away from you. The tension was killing you as she regarded what you had said.

“Lucia, I am dedicated to you and this family,” you said quietly. She licked her lips, listening, still avoiding your gaze. “I wouldn’t let anything take that from me.”

After a few moments of silence, Lucia said, “When are you planning on telling my father? He just made a deal with Andronikov.”

“And Castiel is serious about that,” you said, and Lucia shot you a look. You sighed. “I’m just trying to reassure you it’s not just a smoke screen. He does want it. But… I feel like it should be soon. That I talk to your father, I mean.”

“Yes, it should,” Lucia agreed. Before you could respond, she added, “And it should be you.” You stared at her taken aback. She shrugged and said, “If you are serious, it should be you to say it.”

You choked, “If he thinks I am doing this without anyone’s – “

“I will be there.” Lucia cut in. You stared at her and she shrugged, looking straight forward. “I trust you, Y/N. From the moment we first spoke and made our first deal. I may not… agree with your choices in men. But, I trust you in the sense that I know that you would not screw me over. You have done a lot for this family. Taken bullets. And a lot more.” You knew she was alluding to other things, such as Marcello. You decided to stay silent. “I will trust you when you say that you are not working for him. That is purely physical and emotional. Although, emotional can lead to things that you did not intend. But, I feel you have your head on right and you know where you need to be.” She turned her gaze to look at you directly. “So, when you feel you are ready, you can bring it up. Just make sure it’s not too long.”

You were taken aback by this after everything that had transpired over the last few minutes. You blew out some air, taking a couple moments to gather yourself. “Okay,” you said slowly. “Thank you… for trusting me.”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have hired you for a second job,” Lucia commented. She was right to the point, “Are you going back to him?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Two days from now.”

“Are you sure you can trust him?”

The question caught you off guard. You questioned, “What do you mean?”

Shrugging, Lucia stated, “Trust. Trust with you. Trust with your job. Trust to be honest. Trust. Do you trust him?”

You stalled. You had insisted multiple times to Darius that you trusted him. You did, didn’t you? He had protected you. Had been there when he said he was going to be. He had been loyal.

But, the times when he had been off standish. The times that Darius had pointed out there might be something more to a situation than Castiel was letting on. Those ate away at you.

Did that ruin your trust with Castiel?

If you were going to be honest with yourself, maybe.

But that was your problem to deal with. You trusted him in the sense he was not going to interfere with your life with your Italian family. You trusted he was loyal. The other parts you were unsure of, that was your own business to deal with. That had nothing to do with Lucia.

“I trust him,” you replied as sincerely as you could.

Lucia took in the information before looking out the window. She finally spoke. “Let me know when you are ready, Y/N.”

There was nothing to say to this. You smiled a little, turning your attention out your window. You had lucked out on a boss willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. But your boss had also opened old wounds on your doubts.

…  
Lucia: How was your week?  
Y/N: Fine.  
Lucia: So, not that good then?


	24. Chapter 24

You stared at Matteo across the restaurant, basically ignoring your food. Considering the location, you were not able to be in a sniper position to watch out for your boss but instead had to pretend to be a patron. Although, you knew the other party involved knew you were nothing of the sort. You had spotted them immediately. Closer to their boss. Apparently, they did not trust Matteo or they were not as good as you and Darius. Either way, it was laughable. Matteo would not do anything rash or ask you to do anything rash in the middle of a restaurant full of civilians.

This man Matteo had not met with in almost a year. He was a messenger for the IRA. The IRA only came occasionally, wanting to trade weaponry when their American buyers were being stingy.

Darius had found it amusing that the man who had shown up was not in fact Irish, but Scottish.

“Seems as if everyone is branching out these days,” he quipped to you, rolling a cigarette on the table. You eyed him, and he noticed. “It’s not for me.”

“I know it’s not. But it’s gross that you are doing it on the dinner table.”

Darius smirked, “Picky picky. Fine.”

You couldn’t help but smirk. You were happy things were semi back to normal. You only had another night to hang out with him and you wanted to make the best of it.  
You had told him what had transpired between you and Lucia and he seemed well enough to accept it for now. As long as one of your bosses knew what was going on, he felt more comfortable. Still not okay with the idea. But comfortable.

<> <> <>

Dinner was winding down and you made your way to the door of the restaurant, making to stand outside as everyone left. Darius was staying inside with Matteo, making sure Matteo had protection on both ends.

You were scrolling through your phone, responding to a text Castiel had sent when a figure appeared beside you and you turned your head quickly to see who it was.

Crowley. The IRA member Matteo had been meeting with.

“Can I help you?” you asked him, trying to sound approachable. You know the deal had gone well between them and you did not want to risk it by leaving an impression that Matteo and his family were not grateful.

His eyes wandered you before meeting your gaze again. He simpered, “I just wanted to see you up close.”

Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you remarked, “Well, how is it?”

“You’ve confirmed my suspicions.”

You were desperately hoping this was not leading into a corny pick up line. “Of?” you questioned dryly.

“I saw you,” Crowley wagged his finger at you. You narrowed your eyes at him and he chuckled, “With Andronikov.”

Your blood went cold and you tried your best to hide your shock at this. How did he know? Was he just playing games?

He put his hands behind his back and began circling around you. Your body tensed at this threatening maneuver, ever so aware of his every movement.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” you kept your voice even.

He completed a circle, peering at you. You forced yourself to keep eye contact with him as he began making a second round. “Don’t play coy. In France. It was a while ago. But I am so sure it was you. He met you in a square with dinner if my mind serves me correctly.”

Your heart was hammering in your chest. Where was he going with this? You decided playing along was the best way to go instead of denying it.

“What of it?”

Crowley stopped to the side of you, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. He shrugged and asked, “I am just curious.”

“Of what?”

“About the relationship. I do not want it interfering with mine with Matteo.”

You straightened up, staring him directly in the eyes. “It will not.” You did not want your relationship to ruin any possible business ventures for Matteo. If he spoke to Matteo about this before you had the chance…

“He just does not like to keep his promises sometimes. Or maybe that’s just with the IRA. He’s always been so wary of us. I do not know why.”

“Probably because you are not bound by your word like most men in this profession.”

Crowley’s expression darkened, and he said, “I hold myself to my rules. And my word. I have some integrity.” You couldn’t help but scoff and he stepped closer to you, pushing himself off the wall. You stood your ground, your eyes following him. “Just because I do not bend to every rule some mafia boss tries to make me adhere to doesn’t mean I do not have my own code of diligence.”

“My apologies if I offended you,” you replied stiffly.

This caused Crowley to grin, “You are very well trained.” You bit your tongue, not wanting to say something else that might cause another tense moment.

He sighed, “I was surprised you were not state side with him. You two seem to like to meet in neutral – if you can call it neutral – places, do you not?” Your brow furrowed. You did not know what he was talking about and he caught on immediately. It was hard for him to keep the glee out of his face. “Oh, I’m sorry, kitten. Were you not invited?”

You scowled at him calling you ‘kitten’. Forcing out, you told him, “We do not talk about business.”

“Well, he was state side. I met him in New York.”

New York. Again, your heart was hammering. Harder this time than before. New York. That’s where Marcello had been. You had to ask, your voice weaker than before.

“When?”

Crowley, if he noticed the change in your voice, he did not show it. He shrugged, continuing, “A couple months ago at most.” You looked away from him, trying to hide your emotions. Crowley noticed this diversion of your gaze and smirked slightly. “I’m sorry, kitten. Do you think he has another lover state side?”

Forcing yourself to look at him with as much annoyance as you could muster, you sneered, “That is not something I have to worry about.”

Crowley’s eyes searched you and he cooed, “I suppose not.” He paused before clicking his tongue and jested, “He probably knew the pitiful thing would be decapitated the moment you found out if he even did try.”

You were not going to give into his jabs. You rolled your eyes and observed, “You just like playing games, don’t you?” The growing smirk on his face only fueled your annoyance. “Go back and speak to my boss.”

“Is he your boss?” Crowley taunted, and you stood up straight, your arms at your side. For the first time during this conversation, Crowley looked intimidated for a moment, fearing you would strike.

You only relished in it for a second before sneering, “If you disrespect my loyalty like that again, I do not care what type of business you are bringing him. I won’t hold back.”

Crowley put his hands up and backed off a few steps. “As you say, Fox.” The words dripped off his tongue and he gave you a wink. “Castiel? Eh. I would love to throw him under the bus eventually but…. Your secret is safe with me – and I’m only assuming it’s a secret because you seem very on edge about the whole thing.” You said nothing, and he smirked again. “Secret is safe. Cross my heart. As long as this deal goes well. Although, I have a hunch you’ll make sure it does.”

You watched him back off and turn on his heel when he felt he was a safe distance from you, leaving you standing in the alleyway.

<> <> <>

You were lost in your thoughts, thrown off by your conversation with Crowley.

Darius noticed. “What’s wrong?” he asked, leaning back on his towel, looking at you.

You two were sitting on a dock by the house, your feet dangling in the water. The dock was lit by lanterns and you were both sharing a bottle of wine.

The fact that you were now having doubts on something that Darius had been on you for months about, was not something you particularly wanted to talk about. On a whim though, you decided that if you asked Darius what he thought, he might push you to ask Castiel. You wanted to ask him, but you were now afraid to know the answer and would need some pushing to do what you knew you needed to.

“Crowley and I spoke,” you ventured.

“I saw that. He’s quite annoying sometimes,” Darius commented, taking a swig. He stopped and then threw you a smirk. “Oh no, amore… Was he hitting on you?”

You shot him a look and exclaimed, “No!”

Darius chuckled at this and said, “Well, I’m wondering why he seems to have unnerved you.”

Pausing, you swallowed, looking down at the water again. “He… he just said something to me.”

“What was it?”

“He saw Castiel and I in France.” You met Darius’ eyes and saw that his eyebrows were raised. You sighed and said, “So much for Castiel’s men doing their job to make sure other people who were not supposed to be there were not.”

“Is he blackmailing you for something?”

“No. He just wanted to make sure that his relationship with Matteo wouldn’t be affected considering the… conflict of interest. He doesn’t seem like the biggest fan of Castiel.”

Darius studied you for a moment and inquired, “Are you worried it is going to affect it?”

You forced yourself to meet his eyes again. “Maybe.”

Furrowing his brow, Darius sat back up, placing the bottle down. “Why?” he questioned sincerely.

This was hard to say. You blew out some air and looked at the water. Anywhere but at Darius. “He also said that he…”

“What?” Darius prodded.

“That he met Castiel in New York.”

Darius was at full attention despite the amount of alcohol you two had imbibed. “When?” he demanded.

Your voice was barely above a whisper. “Around the same time as Marcello.” Clenching his jaw, Darius punched the dock. “I don’t know what to do,” you word vomited.

For a few moments, Darius did not say anything. He was tapping his fingers, deep in thought. His attention turned towards you again. “You cannot go back if you are going to ask him that.”

“Why not?” you asked exasperated. This was not how you wanted this to go. You thought Darius would be pushing you to go and ask. He had wanted the answer for a long time. What was holding him back now?

Darius grabbed your arm tightly and exclaimed, “What do you think he is going to do?”

You shrugged. “Probably get angry that I would even think that, or he will admit to it.”

“I meant, what do you think he is going to do to you?”

“Nothing,” you replied.

Darius asked scornfully, “Really?”

“Yes, really,” you retorted.

Shaking his head, Darius told you, “You should just call him.”

“I want to see his face when I ask,” you stated, staring Darius directly in the eyes.

Darius’ expression softened, and he exhaled gently. You knew he understood. He had just as much experience reading situations and people as you did. An expression and body language were easier to read than listening to words.

“Let me go with,” Darius insisted.

You shook your head instantly. “That would be too obvious, and it would cause more problems than it would solve.”

Darius groaned, “I do not like the idea of you going back there when there’s a possibility of something going wrong. And going wrong really quick.”

“You’ve wanted the answer for months,” you pointed out.

Shooting you a look, Darius replied, “I do. Just under safer circumstances.”

You picked at your towel, staring down. “Beggars cannot be choosers,” you remarked. Darius muttered something under his breath and you asked, “What?”

“I hope you’re ready to kick someone’s ass.”

A small smile appeared on your lips. “I don’t think that will be necessary. But if it makes you feel better, my answer is: Always.”

You wished you felt as calm as you sounded.

<> <> <>

Walking into the terminal, you saw Castiel standing there with Sam. You strode over to him, the question you wanted to ask like lead in your throat. Internally, you were scolding yourself for coming all the way here instead of asking him over the phone. But, you had also wanted to ask him in person, to see his expression. Body language conveyed so much more than words did.

“I need to talk to you,” you said to him immediately. He instantly looked worried and gestured at Sam and Dean to stay behind as he followed you quickly. You realized you couldn’t read the signs and sighed annoyed, “Where is a room for us to speak?”

Castiel’s attention moved to the walls, where doors to rooms were. He moved quickly in front of you and veered off to the side. You followed him.

He stopped outside a door and turned to look at you concerned. He inquired, “What happened?”

“Nothing yet,” you muttered, pushing past him into the room, your bag dragging behind you.

Castiel shot a look over his shoulder at Sam and Dean who were standing at the other end of the hall, looking confused. As soon as Castiel began to disappear into the room, they began making their way over to be closer.

“We can be honest with each other, right?” you blurted, turning around to face him. You jumped right in, not wanting to lose what fire you had.

Castiel’s brow furrowed and he ventured hesitantly, “Yes…”

“Did you kill Marcello?” your question was more direct than you had intended.

Castiel leaned back, staring at you. He looked completely taken off guard. A small laugh escaped his lips, “What are you talking about, Y/N?”

You enunciated every word. “Yes. Or. No.”

Castiel scoffed slightly, his eyes leaving yours. That was all the confirmation you needed. But it hurt even more when he shrugged it off, meeting your gaze again as he stated with nonchalance, “I want you safe.”

“Castiel.” It pained you to say it. His name.

He ignored you and the plea in your voice, pressing on. “He was unstable.”

“How… could you?” you breathed out, running your hand through your hair, trying to find grounding.

You felt hands on your arms, as he grasped on tightly.  
  
“Y/N, he was dangerous.” You tried to shake away from him. “Don’t!” he ordered you as you tried to move away from him. You ignored him. Again, he snarled, “Don’t!”

“You killed him,” you exclaimed, stopping your struggle against him. “Do you know what would happen to me if it came out that you killed one of Matteo’s family members because of me? You might as well have killed me yourself!”

Castiel snapped, “Quiet! He put a mark on himself the moment he laid hands on you!” Scoffing loudly, you tried to jerk away from him again, but his fingers dug into your arms, holding you in place. “Why are you even talking about this?”

You decided to lie. You did not want him to go and start shit with Crowley. “It’s been eating away at me.” A half lie. It had been a problem for you for months. You made to pull away again and reached for your bag. But Castiel yanked you to him and you snarled, “Don’t. Touch. Me!”

Suddenly, Castiel shrunk back, his hands retreating. “I would never do that to you!” He said, his voice taut. His expression was dark, seeming annoyed that you insinuated he was going to hurt you.

“Just let me go!” you choked out, pushing past him.

“Please. I was going to tell you,” Castiel tried and then stepped in front of you again. You let out a loud, exasperated sigh, tilting your head back to try to keep the tears from falling. “You need to calm down. Just think for a second. Come back with me and we can talk about it. Plus, you’d have to turn right around and buy another ticket – “

You shoved him out of the way and snapped, “I can buy my own ticket!”

“Y/N!” Castiel barked, not caring anymore if people outside heard. He grabbed your arm again and yanked you to him. “Do not do this.”

“You don’t own me, Castiel!” you snarled at him, pulling out of his grasp yet again. You wiped at your eyes furiously and grabbed your suitcase handle again.

Castiel let out a humorless laugh, “I never said I did! But I sure as hell wish I did because you’re the one being crazy right now!”

You threw your suitcase down and got in his face. Your finger dug into his chest as you poked him, pushing him back a little. “You would have never told me!” Your finger dug again, pushing him back another few spaces. His jaw was clenched. “You didn’t kill Marcello for me! You killed him for YOU! Probably because you felt threatened! And the saddest part is, is that I didn’t give a shit about Marcello further than a basic human level. But, he didn’t deserve to die because you’re a jealous prick!”

A disgusted noise left your mouth and you turned around again, grabbing your suitcase. You couldn’t help but sneer, “Are you going to kill Darius next?”

“Stop. Talking,” Castiel warned, his voice low, emphasizing his words. His eyes were dark, his mouth set.

“Or what?” you sneered.

“Don’t test me, Y/N.”

“Don’t worry, I’m done talking,” you retorted, turning and storming off out of the room, leaving him there.

You went past Dean and Sam who were alerted at your presence.

“Kakiye?” Dean asked confused turning around quickly to look back from where you came to see if Castiel was there. He shot another quick glance at you before moving quickly to the room.

Sam threw his hands out at Dean not knowing who to follow. He decided to follow you, taking off after you.

“Where are you going? The car is that way,” Sam said appearing beside you, startling you.

You narrowed your eyes immediately and said, “Go back to your boss. He’s probably shooting up the room right now because he always throws temper tantrums when things don’t go his way.”

“What?” Sam genuinely looked bewildered. He noticed your tear lined eyes and leaned back a little, looking even more confused.

Moving into the ticket line, you wiped at your eyes quickly. You cleared your throat and said, “Unless you’re going to elbow your way to the front of the line and get me a ticket more quickly, just go away. I want to be alone.”

“Where you going?” Sam demanded.

“Home!” You exclaimed and the people in front of you turned to look at you. “What?” you demanded, and they turned around immediately.

“Zachem – Why?”

“Because. I do not want to be here. Now, go away. Please. Before I cause a scene.”

Sam peered at you, hesitant to leave. His eyes roamed you before saying, “You have safe trip, Fox.” You nodded jerkily, your jaw clenched, avoiding his eyes.

…  
Dean: What?  
Sam: Why?

<> <> <>

Dean hurried hearing an angry yell come from the room and he threw the door open, fearing Castiel had been injured. He entered the room finding Castiel heaving. A side table was tossed across the room and an arm chair was on its side.

“Chto proiskhodit?” Dean asked hurriedly.

“Gde ona?” Castiel snarled.

“Snyala k terminalu,” Dean told him. “Sam posledoval za ney.”

“Ya sobirayus’ ubit’ yeye!” Castiel growled, making to move past Dean towards the door but Dean stepped in his way.

“You need to calm down, boss.”

Castiel shoved him and Dean stumbled back, but still stayed in his path, much to Castiel’s annoyance. “Get out of my way!”

“Think about it,” Dean responded instantly. “You’re in an airport. I don’t want you to get arrested because of a domestic fight! There are too many cops.”

Castiel turned away from him, letting out an angry shout again. He kicked at a trash bin, sending it flying. Sam entered the room just as this happened and immediately closed the door behind him, blocking out the noise.

Seeing Sam, Castiel rounded on him. “Where is she?” Castiel demanded, throwing his hands out angrily.

“She told me to leave her alone.”

Castiel snarled, “And you listened?”

Sam looked flabbergasted. “Yes. I figured you would be mad if I didn’t do what she asked,” Sam explained.

“Just leave it,” Dean suggested to Castiel, moving towards the door again. “I know you told me not to intervene unless it was going to directly affect me. And, boss, this is something that would directly affect me. You cannot get in trouble over… whatever fight just happened.” Castiel stared Dean down, glaring daggers through him. “Just call her in a few days.”

“She knows about that fucking rat Marcello!” Castiel exploded, unable to hold it in any longer.

Sam clicked his tongue hearing this and Dean exhaled sharply, throwing his head back. “Well, how did that happen?” Dean groaned.

“I don’t know!” Castiel burst.

“Why didn’t you just lie?” Dean scolded him.

Clenching his fists, Castiel said through gritted teeth, “I am trying to do better.”

Dean let out an exasperated noise but said nothing. A silence fell over the room as Castiel brewed in his fury.

Sam cleared his throat and broke the uncomfortable silence, “She’ll calm down, Cas. She hated that guy.”

Castiel sucked his teeth and seethed, “I do not want to talk about it anymore.” Sam shut his mouth.

…  
Dean: What is going on?  
Castiel: Where is she?  
Dean: She took off towards the terminal. Sam followed her.  
Castiel: I am going to kill her!

<> <> <>

You don’t know how you made it back. It was all kind of a blur. Luckily there had been a returning flight within an hour and to your surprise, Castiel had respected you asking him to let you go. Despite having connecting flights, you had forced yourself to keep going wanting nothing more than your bed. You never rested well on planes.

And even more lucky, it was later in the night and there was no one in sight when you got home. You threw your bags down onto your bed and collapsed onto the bed face down. You were exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

The floorboards creaked down the hallway and you lifted your head. Darius appeared in your doorway, looking surprised to see you.

“What happened?” he demanded quickly.

You knew you looked deflated. You rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed. “You were right,” you whispered tearfully.

“Amore…” Darius replied quietly, coming over to sit next to you on the bed immediately.

You rested your head on his shoulder, letting the tears fall.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if anyone happened to see this chapter posted for the 45 seconds it was before the previous chapter that had, for some reason, not posted. It's fixed now!

“What do you want to do?” Angelica asked, placing her elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands. “We could go shopping for new clothes, but we always do that. How about we dye your hair?” Her eyes lit up and she blurted, “Or get a tattoo or piercing?”

You told Angelica you were bored and wanted to do something new. She had jumped on the opportunity immediately. It had been a week now since you had had contact with Castiel. He had texted you a couple of times before you had texted him back telling him you still needed a break. He hadn’t been happy but had ceased texting you after telling you he loved you. You had not been able to bring yourself to respond.

“All of it,” you finally said.

Angelica looked beside herself. “Come on, then!” She jumped up from the table, seeming to forget that you two needed to pay for your drinks.

“What about Eula?” you exclaimed.

“I’ll text her,” Angelica waved you off, continuing on her path. You got up quickly to follow her, shoveling a couple of bills onto the table to pay the waiter for your coffees.

Angelica told you when you caught up, “There’s a place I know that will be good. We just need to find a good tattoo parlor. And what shade are you thinking for your hair?”

She was moving very quickly with this. You thought for a few seconds before you informed her, “Blue.”

“What shade?”

“Light. Pastel.”

“This will be great,” Angelica responded, walking quicker. You did not know how she was always walking so fast in the heels she chose to wear. “The place is actually just around the corner that I would recommend for unnatural hair colors.”

She suddenly stopped and grabbed your arm. You startled, staring at her, seeing her eyes were wild.

“And your piercing, we should both get our septum done!” She exclaimed. “I have been wanting to do it for a while! But I didn’t want to go alone.” She touched your ears and said, “Plus, you already have a lot of ear piercings. And you told me you had snakebites before when you were a teen. Do something new! Please?”

She was practically begging.

You shook your head, laughing, “Don’t have an aneurysm, Angelica. I’ll do it. The whole point of this is doing something new, isn’t it?”

“Dove sei stato?” Eula sounded from behind the pair of you. You both turned to look down the sidewalk and saw her coming straight for you two. Her arms were heavy with shopping bags. “Ho cercato in tutto il mondo!”

“Ti ho mandato un sms!”

Eula pulled out her phone and read the text message before her eyes met Angelica’s again and then yours. “Perché?”

“Lei sta avendo un momento . E ‘il momento per un cambiamento,” Angelica explained before you could say anything. You shot her a look and she smirked at you.

Eula shrugged, accepting that. “Va bene.”

…  
Eula: Where have you two been? I have been looking everywhere for you!  
Angelica: I texted you!  
Eula: Why?  
Angelica: She is having a moment. It is time for a change.  
Eula: Okay.

<> <> <>

It had been two weeks since you had got home from your brief visit – more like sighting than visit – with Castiel.

“She should understand I had to do it,” Castiel told Chuck, his voice laced with annoyance and impatience. “He not only touched her, he hit her – and it was not the first time. And while she is with me!”

“Yeah, well, she’s not Russian and doesn’t get that,” Chuck responded, trying to sound as diplomatic as he could.

“It’s not just Russian thing,” Castiel snapped back at Chuck.

Chuck rose his eyebrows and said, “Do I really have to point out all the times I’ve seen fights over some guy simply touching a girl? Or looking the wrong way at one who happened to be with someone while I’ve been here?” Castiel scowled at him, turning his eyes away from him. Chuck continued lightly, “Plus, if we are going to be honest here, it’s not like she hasn’t kept things from you.”

Castiel’s expression was dark. “Don’t remind me,” Castiel sneered, taking a drink of his coffee.

Shrugging, Chuck pressed, “When you talk, just mention it. You killed that guy because he was dangerous. She did what she did for herself. That baby wasn’t a threat.” Castiel’s eyes met Chuck’s and Chuck quickly added, “Well, she might have seen it as a threat because we sure as hell know she doesn’t want to be tied down.”

“And she obviously does not want to talk to me,” Castiel muttered, checking his phone once again.

Chuck watched Castiel closely and suggested after a minute, “Go out tonight. Have a couple of drinks.”

“No, I have job to do tomorrow.”

Rolling his eyes, Chuck replied, “I didn’t say get wasted. I said have a couple of drinks. And then drink an assload of water before you go to bed. Just get out and do something besides your job. And get your mind off of this whole… mess for a while.”

Castiel contemplated this before responding, “You always want to drink.”

“This is true,” Chuck responded. “And I also kind of want to do some drugs. And clubs are good for that.”

“I’m not doing drugs.”

“Trust me. I’ll do enough for the both of us,” Chuck told Castiel, standing up from the table. He added, “Just make sure Sam knows he’s probably going to be carrying me home.”

<> <> <>

Castiel pushed the woman against the wall, pressing his mouth to hers roughly. She giggled against his mouth as his hands moved up her sides, feeling her. He had pushed her out of the main room of the club into a private room, the sounds from the dance floor muffled by the door.

Castiel was drunker than he had intended to be. Anna, as she had introduced herself to Castiel, had been on him from the moment he had walked into the club. She was pretty enough, and she sure liked to do drugs. She had offered some to Castiel early in the night and he had declined, telling her he did not dabble with ecstasy. Chuck, on the other hand, had taken some happily. Sam was babysitting him, much to his annoyance.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she slurred, “Ya spuskayus’!” Her red hair was still bright in the dim lights.

Fumbling in her pocket, Castiel responded, “Ya ispravit’ eto, golub’.” He fished out the baggie and opened it, taking a pill out from it. Anna stuck her tongue out as he moved his hand towards her mouth.

He delicately placed it on her tongue, his eyes never leaving hers. A wicked grin spread across his face as she closed her mouth, taking the pill.

“Vy sobirayetes’ prinyat’ odno?” Anna questioned him, grinding her body against his.

Castiel shook his head, “Vy znayete, chto ya ne delayu etogo.”

“Eto stoit poprobovat’. Vy derzhite svoy kontrol’, boss.”

She knew who he was, she had made that clear from the beginning. Castiel found these girls every so often who got off on the idea of being the lover of a mafia member.

And he was playing off it. He slipped a condom on and buried himself in her. His thrusts in her were deep and quick. His only thoughts were to seek release as quickly as he could. He wanted to feel the high. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her perfume. It smelled cheap. He shouldn’t have been surprised.

He came with a loud moan buried in her neck. It was quicker than he thought it was going to despite the amount of alcohol he had. Anna did not seem to mind that she hadn’t orgasmed as he came in her in hot spurts. She merely giggled again, pressing her lips to his, kissing him sloppily.

“You feel great,” she breathed against him.

He didn’t feel great. He felt empty.

…  
Anna: I’m coming down.  
Castiel: I’ll fix that, dove.  
Anna: Are you going to take one?  
Castiel: You know I don’t do that.  
Anna: It was worth a try. You keep your control, boss.

<> <> <>

“Avete un posto con i tuoi amici?” You asked, sounding genuinely surprised, looking up at Rafael. You leaned against his chest, looking up at the townhouse.

“Non tutti laurea italiana vive a casa, bella,” Rafael told you.  
You had gone out with Angelica, Eula, and a few of their friends. They insisted you needed to after you had got back from an assignment with Darius in Greece.

Halfway through the night, a drink had arrived at the table for you. The waiter told you that the man at the bar wearing the dark suit had sent it. He was attractive, and he had chosen a good drink for you. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was loneliness, but you had accepted. Also, Angelica had basically shoved you out of the booth and threatened you within an inch of your life if you did not accept.

Rafael was nice enough from a first encounter. When he had asked you if you wanted to go home, you had agreed with only slight hesitation. Deep down, you felt guilty, but you wanted to go too. You were lonely.

His room was surprisingly not a disaster. “Tua madre stato più di recente?” you teased him as he closed the door behind him.  
Rafael laughed at this, “No.”

You took your coat off, draping it over the back of a chair. Too bad you were not looking for something long term. He was single, his appearance was enticing, he lived pretty much on his own, and he seemed to keep clean. A jackpot coming for you at the wrong time.

You felt him approach you from behind, his hands touching your bare arms. You turned around to face him, pulling him quickly into a kiss. He responded with fervor, his hands playing with your zipper on the back of your dress.

“Desideroso?” he chuckled quietly against your mouth as he guided you over towards his bed. He crawled on top of you, pushing you down into the mattress, his lips exploring every spot of bare skin he could get at.

As he moved between your legs, you couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. This isn’t who you truly wanted.

But he would have to do.

…  
Y/N: You have a place with your friends?  
Rafael: Not all Italian bachelors live at home, beautiful.  
Y/N: Your mother been over recently?  
Rafael: Eager?

<> <> <>

“Like he’s going to miss an opportunity where he knows I am going to be?” you asked Darius, shooting him a knowing look.

Darius sighed, nodding in agreement. You two were discussing Kozma’s party. He had kicked it up a month in advance because his wife wanted to have Christmas and New Year’s to themselves this year without worrying about hosting people.

It had been three weeks now since you had seen Castiel. He had texted you once, asking you if you were alright. You had responded that you were and told him to wait another week. All he had said back was that he loved you again. You almost responded, telling him the same. But, you were still angry.

“Plus, Matteo mentioned Castiel coming. Because he needs to speak with him.” Darius’ attention was immediately on you. You scowled, “I’m glad he mentioned it for the head’s up, unbeknownst to him. The fact that he still doesn’t know bugs me though.”

“You could tell him,” Darius pointed out.

You shook your head. “For what? To cause drama? No, Lucia agreed unless we started back up to drop it.”

Your hand fell from your clothes hanging in the closet. It was hard to think about going to Kozma’s party.

“Amore?”

Looking over your shoulder, you apologized, “Sorry. I was thinking.”

“About?”

“I met – or saw – Castiel for the first time at Kozma’s party.”  
There was a rapt knock on your door before Darius could say anything.

You cleared your throat. “Entra,” you called, still standing in front of your closet.

Eula and Angelica entered the room and Angelica’s attention fell on Darius. “Fuori, Darius!” Angelica ordered him, pointing out the door. He stared at her and she sighed impatiently. “Dobbiamo prepararci!”

“Sì, bene,” Darius sighed, mocking annoyance. He got up and walked towards the doorway. He chucked Angelica under the chin and told her, “Assicurati di guardare sexy!”

Angelica swatted his hand away, “Ti comporti come se non lo faccio sempre!” Darius chuckled, leaving the room.

Eula flopped on the bed and informed you, “Non volevamo che si indossa pantaloni stasera. Soprattutto perché si è permesso di bere con noi stasera.”

“That sounds… creepy,” you told her.

“You know what I meant!”

Angelica interjected, entering your closet next to you. “I’ll find something.” She shooed you away from the closet, pointing at the bed. “It’ll look like you’re a lady but also like you are looking to get laid.”

“Not on my agenda tonight,” you chuckled halfheartedly, walking over to sit next to Eula.

“Not right now it’s not. Things can change,” Angelica called from the closet. “Remember Rafael?”

“I do,” Eula smirked, and you laughed. “You were lucky that night. Has he talked to you since?”

You nodded, “He called. I told him maybe in a little bit.”  
Eula let out a loud groan and complained, “Why are you pushing someone like that away?”

Pushing a piece of hair behind your ear, you tried to play it cool. “I’m not. I’ll see him again. I just… don’t wanna rush.” Eula waved you off, dropping it.

The outfit was classy, yet sexy, like Angelica promised. A pair of black, dressy shorts with black tights underneath paired with a long sleeved, gold, sequin top.

“I’ve never seen you pair these things together, so there,” Angelica explained, gesturing at the outfit laying on the bed. “Come on, put it on.”

“I’ll be right back,” Eula said suddenly, before disappearing from the room quickly.

Angelica watched her go before prompting you again, “Go!”  
You did as she asked, sitting on the edge of your bed.

Eula bounded back in, carrying a pair of gold glittered stilettos. She wiggled them at you and said, “You need to shine. It’s somewhat of an early Christmas party.”

“Are the sequins not enough?” you asked sarcastically, pointing at the top. Eula shook her head, placing the heels down next to you.

They were both preoccupied with their phones as you got yourself dressed.

When you stood back up, Eula immediately confirmed, “Yes, that’s the one.” She paused and then added, “Your hair clashes a little. But, I’ll get over it.”

You looked down at your feet and questioned, “What if I have to run?”

“From what?” Eula laughed. “A man?” You forced a smile and a laugh. Eula waved you off. “No one there is going to kill you. Loosen up. Kiss a stranger. Or better yet, invite Rafael to the party as a plus one.”

It wasn’t a stranger or Rafael you were thinking about kissing.

All of a sudden, they were moving again. “We need to go get dressed!” Angelica told you before turning around and pointing at you, “Daring eyeliner tonight. We need to match somewhat. I’m gonna be in sparkling red. Eula is wearing deep, sparkling green. But, our makeup,” She made a winged motion by her eye. “Wing it. Big. And add some gold glitter. We are all wearing gold glitter eyeshadow.”

“Are we a clique now?”

Angelica shrugged and asked seriously, “When haven’t we been?” before disappearing out of the door.

…  
Angelica: Get out, Darius! We have to get ready!  
Darius: Ah, fine. Make sure to look sexy!  
Angelica: You act as if I don’t always.  
Eula: We didn’t want you wearing pants tonight. Especially since you are allowed to drink with us tonight.

<> <> <>

“She’s right there,” Chuck pointed across the wide patio. He was sitting next to Castiel at a table. “You just don’t recognize her because she dyed her hair. Blue hair, black shorts.”  
Castiel’s eyes fell on her and took in her side view. She was sitting in a chair, looking completely relaxed. Her smile was bright. She looked fine and that hurt him. He didn’t expect her to look sad and he didn’t want her to look sad. But her looking like everything was fine…

She started looking around the patio and Castiel hoped she would look his way.

She did, and his heart dropped as she looked away just as quickly.

<> <> <>

Darius sat down next to you and placed a shot in front of you, Angelica, and Eula.

“Still not drinking, Darius?” Eula teased him, grabbing the shot.

“I am babysitting tonight.”

“I don’t need to be babysat,” Eula replied. “I’m stopping right after this drink.”

Darius snorted and responded, “You said that about the last one.”

Eula rolled her eyes, “But, you bought this. I can’t turn it down.”

Eula had had more drinks than both you and Angelica. Still, the three of you took the shots.

You pulled your phone out of your pocket.

Have you seen him? You texted Darius.

Darius’ phone buzzed, and he took it out of his pocket, checking it quickly. He shot you a look before moving to respond.

“I like that one,” Eula told no one in particular, pointing blatantly at the bar.

“Who?” Angelica asked, turning in her seat to look over at the bar. They sure were not being careful about who they were staring at. But you were happy they were distracted because they wouldn’t notice you and Darius using your phones to have a private conversation.

Yes.

You snapped your attention to him in disbelief.

Why didn’t you tell me?

I thought you had seen him. You looked right in his direction when he walked in.

Where is he now?

Across the patio.

You put your phone down, leaning back in your chair. You nonchalantly turned your head, scanning the patio.

His blue eyes met yours and you looked away quickly. Embarrassingly quickly. Your phone buzzed.

Smooth.

“Fuck you,” you said out loud to Darius, who merely smirked.

“Stop fighting. More drinks,” Eula told you, hitting you in the arm.

“I thought you were quitting.”

“Well, you can gloat, because I’m not,” Eula spat at Darius.

Another drink later, you were more than feeling it. “I need… something,” you said. Internally, you had decided it was time to talk to Castiel. Part of you was telling you no, but the other side was stronger. Darius eyed you warily.

“Get me water,” Eula told you.

You stood up, testing your balance. “Yes, your majesty,” you replied, adjusting your shorts.

“Wait, I’ll come with,” Eula said suddenly, and you shook your head. “What?”

“No, I’ll go on my own.”

Eula eyed you and asked, “You’re going to leave me here alone with sober big brother and my not-so-fun-tonight sister?” Angelica shot her a look, momentarily distracted from texting whoever she had been having an extensive conversation with.

“You’ll be fine,” Darius told her before standing up and taking your seat next to her. “Here, let’s play that game you like to play at parties.” You know he was doing it to distract her. You knew he knew that you were trying to get alone, hoping Castiel would approach you.

Again, you made eye contact with him as you walked over towards the bar that was halfway between the two of you. This time, you made sure to have your eyes linger before you looked away.

Leaning against the bar, you tapped your fingers, trying to calm your fast beating heart. You were nervous. Was he going to even approach you? Had you pissed him off entirely by not speaking to him for so long?

Suddenly, Castiel was beside you. “What are you doing?” he leaned in close, speaking quietly so your conversation would not be overheard.

You were not getting the quiet memo, speaking at a normal level, “Are you blind? I’m obviously ordering a drink.”

Shit, you told yourself. Don’t be rude.

He zeroed in on your face suddenly and demanded, “What is that?”

“What?”

“Your nose.”

You chided, “I thought you would be smart enough to spot a piercing.” You touched your hair and added, “This is new too, but you didn’t comment on that. Oh, and I got a tattoo. It goes all the way up my thigh. You can kind of see it through the tights. I needed something to try to cover up that scar from stupid Shtjefen.”

“You’re making fool of yourself,” he told you.

“Not the first time,” you retorted, giving him a little shove away from you. “Are you here for what I think you are?”

Castiel’s eyes flittered around the bar and he asked quietly, “If you would have a word with me about my… bargain, that would be good.”

“Bargain,” you snorted loudly as the bartender approached. “Can I have – “

Castiel cut you off. “Water.” You gave him an incredulous look and he ignored you, his attention still on the bartender. “Please.” He acknowledged you finally, “I will buy you one later.” You closed your mouth, glaring at him.

The bartender seemed to bore of waiting to see if it was really what you wanted because she set to work to get your water.

Your water arrived and Castiel tipped the bartender before tapping your arm, “Follow me.” He took off through the crowd and you knew, despite your drunken state, that he meant to keep it as inconspicuous as possible. You walked through a doorway towards god knew where, having seen him disappear down there. He was waiting for you.

Pulling you into a side hallway, far from the rest of the party goers, Castiel cut in immediately, “Why are you doing this to me?”

You placed your cup on a built-in shelf, refusing to drink it. Castiel noticed this, giving you an annoyed look.

“You killed someone in my 'family'” Your fingers emphasized the family part.

Castiel immediately grabbed your hands before pinning them to your sides. You didn’t even have time to register what he did before he hissed in your face, “I saved you, molen'kaya lisa! He was going to force you home and fuck you! Who was there? Matteo’s daughter? No. She was standing by! Tehrani!?” The name slid off his tongue like acid. He sounded like he hated saying it. “No! He was NOWHERE to be found! You know who was? Me!”

“Did you want to fuck me?” you asked getting off track, pressing your body against his.

He growled, pushing you away from him. “You are too drunk!”

“I’ll remember” you tried to reassure him, tapping your temple.

He immediately went rigid as two girls entered the hallway, giggling to themselves. “Do you guys know where the bathrooms are?” one of them asked you, the other one hanging off of her arm. They were both highly intoxicated.

“Opposite side of the place,” Castiel told them, pointing back to where they had come from.

The one hanging off the other’s arm groaned loudly, “I told you, Maria!” She looked at Castiel and said, “Thank you.” She noticed you and touched your arm, seeming mesmerized by it. “This is pretty.” She looked up and touched your face. “You are pretty. Come dance with us.”

“No,” Castiel cut in and the girl looked at him confused.

The other girl – Maria – spoke up. “Come on, Anastasia. They are obviously… talking,” She giggled at the word talking. She yanked Anastasia away back down the hall. She looked over her shoulder and giggled, “Have fun.”

“Come home with me,” Castiel told you as soon as they were gone.

You contemplated for a moment. “How long?” you asked. And then you shook your head quickly, “Wait, no. I’m mad at you.” You should not have had all the drinks you had.

“We can talk about it!” Castiel told you. “We have had break. I don’t like it.”

You snorted. “That sucks.”

Castiel sucked his teeth and demanded, “Why is it so important to you to have break?”

You threw your hands out and asked, “Do you not listen to anything that I say?”

“Of course I do!” Castiel exclaimed angrily. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down before he continued. He cupped your face. “Please. Just… come back.”

“You lied to me,” you told him point blank.

“I did not,” he insisted. “I told you the truth when you asked.”

Grinding your teeth, you studied him. You wished you had drank some of the water. You were in no state to be having this conversation. You were growing angry because he was right with that point.

“When I asked,” you tried to retaliate to gain the upper hand again.

“I do not want to play this card, Y/N but you have no reason to be angry with me about secrets. You had one just as bad before.” Your mouth fell open slightly and he seemed unphased, continuing coolly. “We had our reasons for doing what we did. I needed to protect you from a man threatening you and also disrespecting me – and I don’t care if he did not know he was disrespecting me.”

He stepped closer to you again, his eyes not leaving yours. “You are with me – forget break – and it is my job to protect you.” You opened your mouth, but he added quickly, “And I know you can take care of yourself but I will not stand by when you are being hurt.”

He reached up, touching your face tenderly. “You are important to me.”

Suddenly, his attention was not on you anymore and his hand fell from your face. He was staring over your shoulder and you turned your head to look.

Darius was standing there a ways back. He walked towards the pair of you and you felt Castiel tense, readying himself. “I was looking for you, amore.” You saw Castiel’s jaw clench at this nickname. You knew he knew what it meant.

“Come on. Angelica and Eula are looking for you at the bar,” Darius stated, and he turned his gaze to Castiel. “Andronikov and I have things to talk about.”

“Darius – “

“Non gli farò del male,” Darius told you. You chewed on your bottom lip and he insisted, “Lo prometto.”

“Non stava facendo niente.”

“Sono sicuro che non lo era.” He sounded unconvinced. “Andare. Terrò la mia promessa.”

You looked back at Castiel, who was watching the pair of you intently. “Call me tomorrow,” you told him. You saw his expression soften slightly at this request. You lingered for a few moments, keeping eye contact, before turning on your heel and leaving.

…  
Darius: I won’t hurt him. I promise.”  
Y/N: He wasn’t doing anything.  
Darius: I’m sure he wasn’t. Go. I’ll keep my promise.

<> <> <>

Darius turned to make sure you were gone before looking back at Castiel.

“I know what you did,” he informed Castiel. “And you are lucky I love her and respect that she has feelings for you. Otherwise, I would have told Matteo by now.”

Castiel chuckled, “Is this a threat?”

Darius shook his head, “That wasn’t, no. But this is: don’t fucking break her heart again. Or I will do something about it.”

Castiel ran his eyes slowly over Darius, before he questioned, his tone knowing, “It was you, wasn’t it?” Darius furrowed his brow and Castiel shook his head, “Come now, Tehrani. Don’t play stupid. You put idea in her head.” His expression hardened. “And caused this fight.”

Squaring up, Darius looked Castiel directly in the eyes. “I mentioned it, yeah. But, I wasn’t the one who gave her information that led her to believe it was you.” Castiel’s expression faltered at this and Darius couldn’t help but simper. “She told me I was wrong for a long time. But when faced with facts that she couldn’t push out of her mind, she had to ask.”

“Who was it?” Castiel demanded, his voice low.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“It does.” Castiel sounded furious.

“If she hasn’t told you, then it is not my place to tell you,” Darius remarked.

Before Castiel could retort anything, there were footsteps behind Darius and he turned to look over his shoulder.

Dean and Sam had finally had enough of Castiel disappearing with you for an extended period of time and had set out to find him.

A fake smile on Darius’ face as he greeted them both separately, “Andronikov. And… Andronikov.”

Dean looked pissed. “Chto on delayet?” he asked Castiel, staring past Darius.

“Govorya,” Castiel responded tightly, his eyes on Darius.

Darius put his hands up, “Don’t worry, we are done.” He shot a look at Castiel, adding, “For now.” He paused, studying Castiel for a moment. “Remember what I said.”

He turned on his heel, walking off down the hall. He stopped in front of Sam and Dean and asked sarcastically, “Do I need to say a password to go through?”

Dean kept Darius’ stare, not moving. Sam stepped aside, and Darius smirked before walking past Dean.

“Vse, chto nam nuzhno znat’?” Dean asked Castiel immediately.

“Net,” Castiel told him, walking towards them. “Idi vypit’.”

…  
Dean: What is he doing?  
Castiel: Talking.  
Dean: Anything we need to know?  
Castiel: No. Go have a drink.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter.

“I’m sorry for not telling you – and not planning on telling you – but… I’m not sorry for what I did.”

Castiel sat across from you, the wind gently blowing through his tousled hair. You had called him like you had promised him. The two of you were sitting in a park, people milling around you. It was sunny and warm. You hoped this conversation would end that way.

You could understand the sentiment. But, you had to explain yourself.

“You could have been caught.”

Castiel looked like he wanted to argue but stopped himself. He forced a nod, “Yes. There is always possibility of being caught.”

Raising your eyebrows, you continued, “And I would have been exposed. Matteo may have –” You paused to scoff. “No, he would have killed me if he found out.”

A dark look passed over Castiel’s face. “I would not have let that happen,” he told you firmly.

You believed he would have done his damnedest to make sure that you were not killed. But you also believed Matteo would have acted quickly, been set on loyalty to his family. Regardless of the fact Marcello had been a drug addicted, abusive twat. Not only to you but other women he had dated as well.

Knowing it best to agree with him to continue mending your relationship, you told him, “I know.”

He leaned forward, reaching across the table. You responded, leaning forward, putting out a hand to him. He grasped it tightly, staring you directly in the eyes. “There is culture difference. I protect you. I am sorry if it is a problem.” You said nothing. “It would be best to not talk about… him… after this. If you would like to keep the secret.”

You could not help but agree. “Yes.”

“I promise I will not do anything like that again without talking to you.” You almost laughed at him admitting that he would consider doing it again. That was him though. “Will you promise me the same thing?”

Grinding your teeth slightly, you mulled it over. “Cas, I know what I did was not fair to you. And I did not apologize for it when you confronted me about it. I have the same feeling: I am sorry for not telling you, but I am not sorry for doing it. It wasn’t… right.” You noticed the look on his face. You quickly corrected yourself, “The right time, I mean.”

After a pause, you admitted, “And I was scared.”

“I know,” Castiel replied softly.

Castiel’s fingers traced your hand slowly. “What now?” he questioned after a few moments.

Swallowing, you answered, “I need to speak with Lucia.”

Castiel furrowed his brow, looking taken off guard. “Lucia?”

“She knows. About us.”

He looked shocked. “Since when?”

“Since I came back. I told her first,” you told him. “She hired me. Not her father. Plus, I needed her on my side before I spoke to Matteo. If I had her approval on it, it would go a hell of a lot smoother.”

Castiel studied you. “I am assuming there is approval.”

Shrugging, you answered, “She doesn’t necessarily agree with it but she’s not angry about it.” He looked put off by this but said nothing. “So, I’ll go back home and let her know that this is still happening.”

“She knew you were not seeing me?”

“Yes, she asked me when I came back whether or not I was ready to speak to her father. I told her the truth.”

Castiel considered this. “Probably smart.” You nodded.

Another silence fell between the two of you. People passed by, speaking loudly to each other joyfully. Seagulls squawked, flying overhead. You studied the tattoos on his arms that were exposed. You had memorized the pattern of them over the times you had laid with him.

Castiel’s hand tightened around yours again drawing you from your thoughts. “You will come back with me when I leave?” he ventured, looking hopeful.

Of course, he was going to ask that. You knew it was coming.

Sighing quietly, you replied, “Yes, of course, Castiel.”

His smile was warm. “I will be happy to have you back at home.”

Home. He was home. You didn’t think you could live without him if you tried.

“I just want to be back with you,” you told him sincerely.

Castiel rose your hand to his lips, giving it a kiss, letting it linger for a moment. “You will be soon.”

Giving him a small smile, you leaned forward across the table. He understood, leaning in as well, you pulled his head towards you, pressing his lips to yours. It was a gentle, slow kiss, appropriate for the situation. It was peaceful, reflective of your rekindling. The fire was going to grow again. You knew the moment you two were alone in a room together, your bodies would be intertwined, breath panting, and sweat glistening on your skin.

“I love you,” you told him pulling away from him. “I’ll let you know how it goes with Matteo.”

You stood up from the table and grabbed your clutch. Castiel stood up as well. “Moy lis,” he stated, reaching out, grabbing your arm. You stopped, meeting his eyes. “It will be fine,” he told you firmly. “Matteo is fair.”

He pulled you into his arms, wrapping you up. You rested your head against his collar, feeling his hand place on the back of your head. He leaned his head down, nuzzling into your hair. “I’ll be waiting,” he told you, kissing the top of your head.

“I know,” you told him, giving him another quick peck.

You loved a mob boss. Every sensual, violent, protective, impassioned part of him.

…  
Castiel: My fox


End file.
